A/N- 1 I want to give special thanks to illex and katarite for their help with Attack. I'd still be working on the chapter if they hadn't straightened me out

A/N-2 This is an old story I took down for re-wwiting. The rewriting is still in progress so here is the original. I'm not satisfied with it but it is appropriate for this holiday, so here it is ... for awhile

Chapter 1 (Peace)

Rommie heard the rattling at the door and checked the time. The mailman had arrived. "Dylan, will you get the mail please? I'm busy in the kitchen." She heard a soft grunt of pain as her old captain got out of his chair and walked towards the door. The doctors had told her that while Dylan's legs would regenerate there would always be pain and stiffness in them, and the best thing she could do for him would be to insure that he exercised them as often as possible.

Putting down the paring knife she had been using to prepare lunch she joined Dylan in the cottage's living room. He was standing near the wood burning stove that served to heat the cottage examining the envelopes, and throwing some of them still unopened, into the fire that was the cottages primary source of warmth. Coming up behind him she resisted the urge to run her fingers through his hair; it was more gray than dark now and instead put her hands on his shoulders. Looking over his shoulder at the remaining mail in his hands, she asked, "Anything interesting?"

"We hit the jackpot today, Rommie. Letters from Andromeda, Beka, Trance and Harper. There's a letter for you from the Society for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligences and one official looking one from Mandlebrot. I just finished reading Beka's .She says she's still trying to decide what to do with the money she won in the Mobius planetary lottery."

"I'm sure she'll find something to do with it. You can add that letter from SAAI to the fire. I quit them years ago, but they still keep pestering me. They were more interested in collecting membership dues than in advancing our cause. It's no wonder the group fragmented. What do my other egos say?"

Dylan scanned the letter. "It's pretty long. I'll give you the highlights and you can read it later. She says that they're enjoying teaching at Mobius but will be glad when their body's finished and they can be a warship again. They've requested that CDR Heiyu be assigned as their executive officer when she's commissioned. Your request for your leave to be extended until she's commissioned has been approved. Oh, and here's some good news, she says that the Mobius base command and control entity has told her that I'm going to be officially retired at the rank of admiral."

"Dylan, that's wonderful. There can't be more than half a dozen Rim Worlders who have been selected to permanent flag rank."

"I suppose the fact that it's a retired rank figured into the equation." There was a touch of anger in his voice as he spoke . "The Core worlds certainly wouldn't want to set a precedent by promoting too many active duty Rim Worlders to flag rank. Well at least it will be a substantial increase in my retirement pay."

Rommie realized that she had inadvertently touched a nerve. The bulk of the High Guard personnel, and in particular the combat arms, was composed of inhabitants of the lightly populated Rim worlds yet it was the personnel from the Core Worlds that dominated the flag ranks of the High Guard. "What does my ex engineer have to say?" she asked deliberately trying to change the subject

Dylan opened up another later and read it silently. "Evie is pregnant again," he told Rommie when he had finished reading. " What is this, her third or fourth pregnancy?"

"Her third," answered the dark haired android. "But it will be their fourth child. Her second pregnancy was twins. Andromeda is going to miss him when she's recommissioned."

"Emigrating to Arkland was probably the wisest choice for them. He wrote me once telling me how Evie was tired of having to masquerade as an organic. The Than Hegemony is much less prejudiced against AI's than the Commonwealth." Seeing the look on his companion's face, Dylan took a page from Rommie's book and dropped the subject. Rommie was a loyal member of the Commonwealth but he knew that sometimes she felt as if the loyalty and respect was a one-way street.

"Let's see what Trance and Dr. Jackson are up to," he said, He opened the letter and quickly scanned the contents. "Just the usual, they're still saving the galaxies from conquest and enslavement."

"Well that's Trance, always where things are interesting. I still don't understand how she does it though. She's in an entirely different universe and 3,000 years in the past and we communicate with her by dropping letters in a mail box. What's the official letter you were talking about?"

"Like you said, that's Trance. Just a sec and let me look at it." Dylan opened the letter and slowly read its contents. A mixture of emotions crossed his face as he read it. When he was done he handed the letter to Rommie. "I think you had better read this yourself."

The letter read:

To: Captain Dylan Hunt High Guard (retired)

and

Chief Warrant Officer Third Class Andromeda Ascendant High Guard

It is our sad duty to inform you that Michael Lincoln and his wife Heather were killed in an air car accident. They are survived by their minor daughter Andromeda Rihan Lincoln. As there is no other next of kin and you are listed as her godparents, it is required of us that we inquire if you wish to assume the duties of foster parents for the child. If you are willing to assume the duties you must come to Mandlebrot to assume custody of the child. If you decline the task, the child will become a ward of the state and will be sent to an appropriate foster family when one is located.

Respectfully

Harold Daughtery Esq.

Rommie put down the letter. "Dylan will you contact the spaceport? While you're doing that I'll pack our bags. This letter was sent ten days ago, we need to hurry"