The Cold Destiny
Author: Luna Sealeaf
Response to Wired Witch's Tarot Card Challenge. I am using my deck of Tarot cards however, so there may be slight differences in names of chapters or meanings of cards.
Summary: Can't tell much without giving it all away; suffice it to say that it takes place in late Season One, will have lots of Harper (and maybe some angst too) along with a bit of Harper/Trance, though I will try to have as much Beka as possible; Dylan will also be a main character.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything (Characters, etc.) from the show Andromeda, and are not making any profit from this.
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe, since later chapters may become more mature.
The Magician
Key Words(from meaning of card): diplomacy, address,loss, self-confidence, will
The old man cast the die once more. He smiled as the same symbols showed themselves. He consulted the pattern of the sticks, the position of the cards, just to be certain he had not misinterpreted the will of the Gods...
"Well?" Asked the woman beside him. The man gave a slow nod.
"The one we need is nearby. He will arrive here soon." Now it was the woman's turn to smile.
"Good."
"How old did you say this message was?" Dylan Hunt, captain of the Andromeda Ascendant, asked incredulously. The cool expression of his warship's persona did not change as she repeated herself.
"Exactly seven months, one week, three days, four point ten hours, and fifty three seconds."
"So even if we do respond, we're probably too late." Dylan said with a hint of frustration creeping into his voice. As the Command Deck was empty, save the captain and the ever-present consciousness of Andromeda herself, there was no one to notice the change in tone.
"It is possible, yes." Only someone who had been onboard the Andromeda for a long time would have been able to hear the change in her voice. Andromeda prefered facts; probabilities were for lesser machines -such as calculators.
"Call the others up here and replay the message. I want their opinion before we decide what to do."
"Aye."
A few minutes later the current crew, numbering seven if one counted Andromeda's avatar; 'Rommie', assembled across Command to watch the message play out. The beautiful, exotic features of the warship faded to be replaced by a figure dressed in white. The voice was low and the message staticy. As the person speaking was hooded, it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female.
"Please, anyone who receives this message, we are begging for help. Our entire planet, P'Laraska, is in danger! I fear that if we do not get help soon, my entire people will be destroyed. It is a matter of life and death."
The message began to repeat itself and Andromeda quickly ended it, reappearing once more on the screen.
"That's it? We don't even know what the big problem is," Beka, leaning against the pilot's chair, broke the silence.
"Maybe it wasn't safe for them to say. They sounded like they were in trouble though." Trance piped up. Harper, standing beside her with folded arms, said ironically,
"Yeah that makes sense. It's not safe for them to say why they need help, but it's safe for them to ask for it? I don't buy it. Sounds like a bunch of wackos to me." Trance frowned at him slightly but Beka looked as though she agreed.
"What is this planet, P'Laraska, like?" Rev Bem interrupted. It was hard to believe that a Magog's voice could sound concerned, but anyone who had ever listened to Rev Bem speak knew it was possible. He directed his question to Rommie, ignoring the others' conjectures. Rommie did not respond immediately as she searched her data archives for information on the planet.
"P'Laraska is a Class B planet. It's solar system consists of twelve planets altogether; six of them are gas giants, and only four of the solid planets are inhabited by humans. P'Laraska is farthest from the system's sun, and has a very frigid climate. Most of the surface is covered in snow and ice."
"I do not see how it is worth saving." Tyr said from his languid position by the railing. Dylan watched them all with a thoughtful expression on his face. The past few weeks had been a rare break in the usual chaos of their lives, and it almost seemed a shame to end the unusual peace.
"But Tyr, they're asking for our help! Isn't that what we're trying to do, help people?" Trance protested indignantly as she turned to look at the Nietzschean, though her last words were said to Dylan. Harper glanced at the purple young woman next to him and a small grin made his eyes sparkle.
"Unfortunately Trance, lately every time we've tried to help people we've ended up regretting it." Beka pointed out, crossing her arms in a gesture similar to Tyr's.
"So does that mean we're just going to give up? Look the other way when people are in danger?" Trance insisted. It would have been easier to take her seriously had she not been wearing several long pink ribbons in her hair. Although the lavender silk-like shirt went nicely against her purple skin, Trance's notorious fashion sense was still evident by her wild hair-do.
"Trance is right. We should at least investigate the message; besides, by now the problem has probably already resolved itself...one way or another." Dylan tried to sound optimistic for his fellow crewmembers, but the only two who appeared to care were Trance and Rev Bem. Since Rev Bem was a Wayist it was obvious why he was concerned about the welfare of others. Trance, as usual, was a little more mysterious when it came to reasons for her actions. With a sigh, he decided to assume it was just her good heart. If she had a heart.
"Man, why couldn't this place at least have a decent ocean or two?" Harper whined dejectedly. With his casual Hawaiian shirt and khaki capris, he looked more ready for a day at the beach than a trip to a world of ice and snow.
"They do have an ocean Harper." Beka said with an innocent smile. The shorter engineer blinked in surprise.
"It's just frozen." She finished with a smirk. He rolled his eyes at her and ignored the amused expressions on everyone else's face.
"I'm still not so sure about this guys, I mean, for all we know, they could be cannibals. Maybe this cry for help is their way of reeling in food!" As the others snickered at Harper's remark Dylan punched in the coordinates for P'Laraska before turning to go rest in his quarters.
"Why are you so worried Harper -even if they are cannibals they won't eat you. You're too small to make a decent meal." Dylan heard Beka reply as he left the Deck. The others continued to tease Harper for a few more minutes before evantually wandering off.
A few hours and many slip points later, Beka announced that they had arrived at the chosen destination. Dylan, Harper, and Trance were the only other people on Command, and all looked up at the screen with curiosity. The planet P'Laraska, from space, looked like a giant glacier floating in suspension. No one said anything as they studied the mysterious world.
"Captain, we are receiving a hail." Abruptly the planet was replaced by Andromeda's form. "It says it is from the city of Sibarctic."
"Put them through," Dylan quickly replied, exchanging a wary glance with his first officer. All of them were wondering the same thing; would they be seen as friend or foe?
"Greetings Andromeda Ascendant. The Hands of the Goddess bid you welcome to our fair planet." The voice belonged to a woman but her face was partially covered by a fur-lined hood and veil, so that her features were hidden. She pronounced the words with a slight accent.
"Goddess? 'Fair planet'?" Beka said under her breath. Harper shared her look of disbelief. Dylan gave them a warning glance before answering the woman.
"Uh, thank you. I'm Captain Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant. We received a distress signal calling for help and came to see if there was anything we could do." It was hard to tell, but it almost looked like the woman on the screen was smiling.
"We are most grateful for any help you may offer us. Indeed, my people are in grave danger. To avoid civil war we requested aid from the other planets in our system, but unfortunately they are faced with their own problems. However... I believe you may be the savior we are looking for."
Dylan gave a slight, nervous laugh. Trance, however, had stepped forward suddenly so that she was in front of the main screen.
"Who are you?" She asked in an almost breathless voice. The woman on the screen slowly lifted a hand to push back the hood. Harper's jaw dropped open at the sight of a beautiful dark haired woman. She appeared to be a little older than Beka, and her face had a sharp edge to it, but her skin had a luminescent glow and her eyes glittered black.
"My name is Alba di Hielo; the Hands of the Goddess. If you are willing to help us, I beg you to come see me at Tempiale Di Neve; it is the Temple of Sibarctic, our most Holy of cities." She gave a deep nod, and then disappeared from the screen.
"Well, that wasn't weird at all." Beka remarked sarcastically.
"And we still don't know why they need our help." Dylan said with a puzzled frown.
"Who cares? Did you see her? She's gorgeous!" Harper was still gazing at the screen, the image of Alba di Hielo apparently still fresh in his mind.
"Harper!" Trance and Andromeda's voice said at the exact same moment, illiciting a laugh from Beka and a startled jump from Harper, which was followed by a sheepish grin.
"Alright, we'll go see what they want. Rev Bem should probably stay here for his own safety since we don't know how these people will react to a Magog. Any volunteers to come with me?" Dylan's gaze swept across the deck. Harper's hand shot up in the air.
"Dylan, I'd like to come as well." Trance said in a low, preoccupied voice.
"Alright. What about you Beka, up for a little hike through the snow?"
"I hate cold..." Beka made a face and then sighed as she continued, "but I admit I'm curious..." Harper gave a wicked grin.
"Careful Beka! Curiosity killed the-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence Harper!" He made a face at her and Beka gave an annoyed frown. Silently, Dylan looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
Tyr agreed to come, so Rommie stayed behind with Rev while the rest prepared to leave on the Maru.
Everyone, except perhaps Tyr, was bundled up as they stepped onto the snow covered field. They had landed as close to the city as they could, and the large grey buildings were visible in the distance. The sky was a lighter shade of grey, and no distinct form of a sun was visible. The air was cold and dry, the snow powdery and wet.
"Well this place just gets better and better," Harper muttered as they began treading through the snow. It was hard to walk as the ground lay nearly two feet under the frozen water.
"No one forced you to come," Trance pointed out. They were at the end of the line, Dylan and Tyr leading in the front in order to break a path for the others.
"Yeah yeah, don't remind me." Harper muttered. The air seemed to pierce their clothing like daggers of ice, and only Tyr showed no signs of discomfort. Just as they had reached the outskirts of the city a large brown sleigh-like vehicle, powered by some invisible fuel and driven by a pale, brown haired young man, stopped before them.
"Are you from the Andromeda?" The man asked. His voice was so quiet that they had to strain their ears in order to hear them.
"Come with me, I shall take you to the Temple." The man's voice, like the woman they'd spoken to, was accented, though his more heavily so, and he said nothing else during the ride. Common did not seem to be the official language here. They piled into the vehicle, grateful for the chance to sit and rest. As they sped through the city, the buildings and the people on the streets were reduced to a less than colorful blur. At last they came to a stop in front of a white tower; it gleamed against the snowy backround, the top disappearing into the pale fogginess that was the sky.
"I don't think I like this place," Harper muttered as they stepped out of the sled, gazing up at the forboding building. After the exhilarating ride the air now seemed thick and stifling. Although the land was flat, it felt like the land was closing in on them; trapping them as easily as an avalanche.
"We won't be here long," Beka promised him before following Dylan and their escort towards the barred entrance.
"Famous last words..." Harper joked darkly.
"Whose last words?" Trance asked curiously, walking beside him.
"Hopefully not Beka's." Was all he said before stepping into the shadows of the Temple. Trance paused for a moment, considering his words. Then she shook her head in confusion and walked inside. Behind her, the door shut with a loud and heavy crash.