Disclaimer: I do not own Andromeda and I sure as hell DO NOT own Andromeda Coda, which is written and owned by Robert Hewitt Wolfe. This fanfiction is inspired by his absolutely genius script that they should have gone with in the show (it would have made seasons 3 through oh so terrible 5 much better) Granted I'll be making allusions and thinly and not so thinly veiled references but understand I do not own it at all. I make no profit from this at all. I just want to write a story. Sorry about all of that I just don't want to get sued or anything like that. Or taken off this site. I like writing fanfiction. Ok now, without any further ado, please read, review and oh so enjoy!
Coda
They had done it.
After 5 long years of traveling, fighting, death, mistakes, gains, losses and everything in between. After 5 years of the universe throwing every nasty trial it could at them, bad luck bad breaks and thousands of bad guys, heartbreak and even each other on occasion, they had done it, they won.
The Commonwealth was restored, the Abyss and its legions of Magog were no more, Tarn Vedra had been found and had rejoined the known worlds. Everything was as it should be, the perfect possible future was achieved, and the journey, the journey that had lasted so long was at its conclusion.
And like at the end of all journeys, the heroes went their separate ways to the peace they had wanted. Forever bound together by their experiences, bonds of friendship, loyalty and love, they still parted.
After the final battle, they partied like they never had before. Harper must have set a record for drinking Sparky Colas. And Rhade probably would have drunk all of them under the table had Rommie not stopped him from falling back into his alcoholic habits. There was dancing on the Andromeda (Rommie even had the worker androids doing the robot) there were fireworks that they watched from the obs deck (courtesy of Andromeda's rather serious holographic self who also joined the festivities) there was even a karaoke contest that had tied between Trance, Beka and Doyle.
And after the party (and the required day of recovery) they had met one more time to say their goodbyes.
There were hugs and even a few tears as one by one, they left. Rhade went back to his family on Terazed. He said he wasn't sure if he wanted to retire as an admiral of the Commonwealth or not but he would talk it over with his loved ones. But one thing was for sure, he would be damned if he was ever separated from them again.
Beka, as the matriarch of the Nietzschians, was going to head to Neitzschian worlds to confirm her new status. DNA tests were to be had and verified, after that, she was pretty sure she was going to be Nietzschian royalty. A thought that didn't displease her.
Harper was going with Rhade to Terazed. The Commonwealth had offered him a high ranking engineer position in their fleet. With a chance to still be able to serve on the Andromeda.
Doyle had decided to remain on Tarn Vedra, or Seefra as she had known it. It was still her home no matter what her origins were, and the reconstruction efforts could go more smoothly with her help.
Trance had been a bit uncertain about her plans. She had completed what she had set out to do, found the perfect possible future and beat the Abyss. She had said that she was trying to choose between "going home" or traveling a bit more. Either way, she said she would never forget any of them. And Harper even cried a bit when he was parting from his best friend.
And as for Captain Dylan Hunt. He resigned from the Commonwealth. Deciding to live on Tarn Vedra to restore it to the paradise it had once been. He was tired from his journeys, and since his task was complete, he felt it was time lay down his force lance and live out the rest of his days in peace.
The Andromeda Ascendant was still the pride of the Commonwealth fleet, she would return Terazed to be assigned a new crew and a new captain. Some rumors stated that Rhade had a shot at the position.
After the crew had said their goodbyes, Rommie, the Andromeda's android avatar hugged Dylan goodbye, and even Holo Rommie and Screen Rommie seemed sad to see him go.
But it wasn't until Dylan was out of the ship that Rommie let the tears fall. They weren't tears of overwhelming sadness or loss, but tears that came from parting. She was going to miss him, and all of them. No matter who the Commonwealth assigned to her next, these individuals, Beka, Harper, Trance, and to an extent, Rhade and maybe even Doyle would always be her crew. And Dylan Hunt, even to her most logical aspect, would always be her captain…
Memories accompanied each crewmember as they exited the ship, but it was Dylan who lingered the longest on those memories. A console Harper fixed, a corridor where he and Beka fought Magog, the bridge where he and his best friend had fought to the death, the core room where his crew had a surprise birthday party for him. So many memories lined every part of this ship, so much history and struggle.
Would others be able to feel what had occurred on this ship? Would they be able to feel all the emotions of the moment that had taken place in a certain corridor? Unlikely, but some people like to think that that actions leave an imprint on places where they happened. And Dylan had to admit, he kind of liked that idea.
So with one final look around as he neared the exit, Dylan smiled at all the memories, good and bad as the nostalgia took its course.
"Goodbye Andromeda."
With that he exited the airlock and entered into the next part of his life.
Andromeda appeared on the nearest screen and projected her holographic self where Dylan had stood and Rommie entered into the room as well.
"Goodbye Dylan," they said as one.
"We never did tell him…" the holograph began.
"We don't need to," Rommie interrupted. "In a way he knows."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm the emotional one remember? Believe me, he knows."
The screen and the hologram disappeared but Rommie stayed for a while longer, lost in thought and memory.
Dylan's transport departed, and he headed home.
Thus concludes the tale of the Andromeda Ascendant and her. The most powerful and most beautiful ship in all of the universe, and the most motley, arguably insane and brave crew anyone had ever known.
But then again, isn't that a little cut and dry? Some stories cannot simply conclude with happily ever after. Some legends cannot just ride into the sunset and fade. And sometimes, the universe has a way of turning upside down just when you least expect it.
Home is where the heart is.
Old Earth Proverb
One year later
If anybody had told Dylan Hunt when he first found himself stuck on what was then known as Seefra that it could eventually turn into a paradise, he would have scoffed if not outright laughed at such a though.
Now though, little by little over the past year, Seefra was well on its way to becoming the paradise of Tarn Vedra that Dylan had grown up on and loved. No longer was it a barren desert armpit of the universe, now it was a green flourishing paradise in the making. The environment was back to the way Dylan remembered it, now all that remained were the reconstruction of all of the cities that the planet had been so proud of.
Dylan had been helping largely in that area. As one who had actually lived on Tarn Vedra when it was in its prime, his knowledge was indispensable in the reconstruction. And he was rather enjoying himself too. He liked seeing the sights of his youth come into existence once again. And he also enjoyed the ideas of the other architects that had come here. Some of which had come up with ways to better the original buildings.
Indeed, he was enjoying himself, he was at peace, so why was he feeling a bit restless lately?
Dylan yawned as he got out of bed and did his usual morning routine. He showered, got dressed and ate breakfast while idly watching the news.
"And in galactic news today, the High Guard have unveiled their latest Glorious Heritage class heavy cruiser, the Remembrance of Terra. Sources say that the name was chosen personally by High Guard Engineer Seamus Harper in honor of his destroyed home world of Earth."
"Huh, congratulations Mr. Harper," Dylan said. Having a ship named in honor of Earth must be a bit painful for him. Still Dylan thought. He must be happy about being able to honor its memory.
The newswoman continued. "The Terra is said to support the latest technological advancements of the Commonwealth. Some say that it may even outclass the legendary Glorious Heritage heavy cruiser, The Andromeda Ascendant. For that we have a guest here today, the captain of the Terra itself, Isis Venezia."
A rather handsome Nietzschian woman stepped into view.
"Thank you very much. I'm honored you requested this interview."
"The honor is ours Captain Venezia. So tell us, the Terra is the most advanced ship the Commonwealth has strived to build since the incident with the Crimson Sunrise about 2 years ago. That ship was also said to have been more advanced than the Andromeda but shortcuts were taken in its design which led to its destruction. Have the builders of the Terra avoided the same oversights?"
Captain Venezia smiled. "Ah a question where even if there were oversights I'd rather die than admit that if that were indeed the case. But rest assured, the Crimson Sunrise was being built in a time when we had the threat of the Magog Worldship and was thusly rushed. The Terra was built in peacetime so we were able to take our time. Not to mention that Seamus Harper didn't just help name the ship, he also oversaw much of its construction before heading back onto the Andromeda. And from what I've heard, the man can be a bit of a perfectionist about ships."
"Ha! That's Harper for you," Dylan commented.
The newswoman seemed please with this response. "I know this is a rather obvious question, but many are interested in what its like being in command of a ship more advanced than the legendary Andromeda?"
At this, Captain Venezia smiled. "It is an honor beyond anything I have ever known. We all know the story of Dylan Hunt and the Andromeda, how with the most advanced warship in the known worlds he restored the Commonwealth and brought peace to a galaxy in anarchy. With this ship, we'll be able to maintain and protect that peace now and far into the future. I believe the Remembrance of Terra is also a symbol for other things, such as the fact that we no longer need to look to heroes of the past, but can strive to be our own heroes in the present."
Then the Captain looked somber. "But it also represents something else, as you may have noticed I am a Neitzechian," she gestured to her bone blades. "And the Terra was named such to honor Earth, a planet where horrible things were done by the Drago Kazov pride of my species. And with Earth's destruction, we no longer have the opportunity to make it right. But we can remember, and ensure that no other planet ever has to become enslaved by greedy warlords who are little more than oversized playground bullies."
Dylan finished his breakfast and nodded. This Venezia presented herself well on camera at least. Hopefully she made as good a captain as she did an interviewee.
With that, Dylan caught a grav train to work, today they were working on one of the museums he had loved as a child. He didn't want to miss out on that.
But even so, something felt off to him. Like something was missing or wrong.
"You alright there Dylan?" Starsky Hutchen, one of the builders he'd been working with asked.
"Hmm? Oh yeah just lost in thought for a moment."
"Mm, yeah I hear ya. Some days you wake up and just wonder what am I missing right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Dylan replied hesitantly. That was exactly what he felt.
"In my experience, that's just cause you're still getting used to new things. Hell I still miss the feeling of a gauss gun at my side no matter how long I've gone without it. But it'll pass in time. Everything fades with time as a wise man once said."
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"
"Nothing lasts forever, be it good or evil. But that's for some smart guys to debate. Us? We got a museum to build so buck up and lets do it."
With that, they disembarked the grav train and made there way to the construction site. Starsky had given what had at least sounded like good advice but he was still uneasy. He had everything and he was no longer needed to protect the Commonwealth.
So why did something feel so wrong?
On an undiscovered garden planet.
Trance Gemini sat in a field of flowers, just taking in the scents and smiling. She had decided to travel. The universe was safe but still an interesting place. So she had gone to some casinos, racked up a considerable fortune and bought her own ship. She decided to name it The Eu-Beka Maru. A little play on Eureka Maru, Beka's own ship. She wandered the galaxy looking for new things and she had found this beautiful garden planet that she decided to stay on for a few days and catalog all of the flowers.
She laid back in the flowers truly content. Peace was agreeing with her, and she had found the perfect possible future for her and those she cared about the most. Idly, she started looking into possible futures of where she would go next…
And abruptly sat up as her body exploded in pain from the attempt.
"Aaaagh!" she yelled. She shifted her focus to the present and the pain faded.
"What was that?" she said into the field of flowers. That had never happened before, no matter what future she was living.
She tried again and again her body exploded in pain.
Breathing hard she brought her focus again to the present by concentrating on the flowers around her now.
What's going on?
Suddenly, crackles of blue energy danced across her vision. Energy she had seen only a few times before.
Tesseracts? Impossible!
Then a sound came from behind her and she whirled around to see someone she never thought it possible to see again. Herself.
"You…?"
Herself, youthful looking, with a tail and purple skin, nodded in reply.
"I think you should know, that something has gone very very wrong," she said with her tail twitching.
This can't be happening.
"With what?" she asked with her voice trembling.
"Everything."