The Winds of Change
Author's Note: This story is an AU retelling of Andromeda. Rather than being set in outer-space in the far future, it is placed in the "Wild West" of America's past in the year 1860. All of the first season characters are present, but they might be slightly different in order to fit the setting and events of this story.
Prologue
Rebekah Valentine shielded her eyes with one hand as she stared off into the west, a frown turning the corners of her lips down. The dark clouds were quickly bearing down on her across the rolling landscape and still there was no sign of anyone. If her fiancé didn't get his sorry behind home soon, he was going to get caught in this storm, and she darn well wasn't about to go out looking for him.
A sudden, intense gust of wind whipped her skirts up wildly and she swatted them down – annoyed.
Beka Valentine was a woman of her choosing. Never mind that civilized women were supposed to conform to certain mores and standards; Beka did what she wanted, when she wanted, and if that bothered anyone, well that was just too bad. With only her own blood, sweat, and guts she had taken the worn down ranch she inherited from her father and turned it into something of which to be proud. Granted, she was still heavily in debt to the bank and her father's creditors, but she was steadily paying it off and the "Eureka Maru" was starting to blossom. So anyone that wanted to criticize her social conduct could just take a hike, preferably right off a cliff. If she felt like wearing trousers, she was going to wear trousers, and if she felt like a dress, she would wear a dress. Today, she had felt like a dress and now she was starting to regret her decision. She was suddenly reminded how much she hated wind and weather.
Glancing once more into the coming storm, Beka scanned the horizon for any sign of movement but found none.
"Bobby Jensen, you are on your own," she grumbled as she climbed up the steps, stomped across the porch and into her house, slamming the door behind her.