Disclaimer: Don't own anything, probably not even the title because some other person probably used it for some strange movie or some'it.
Dedications: Rommie's voice ) for the idea and kick in the pants to get going.
Pairings: none, to the point where nothing is out of the usual.
Spoilers: Nothing past season two (sorry, that's the best I can do...no Rhade though)
Author's Note: ... thinking
Rommie's Point Of View...In years of shining splendor I wait here,
For the fear of reality to surface.
Standing here, looking out at the stars, everything looks so simple and peaceful. The grace of a single galaxy, swirling in deep shades of blue and yellow, how could it coexist with the chaos of my life? I stand at the edge of battle, waiting for any command that may come for me. I have spent the last few days preparing for a dangerous mission. One that no one else here can afford to make. Beka will be needed for slipstream, Harper, for any repairs and Tyr will be in charge of weapons status. Trance and I were the only ones who could make this mission possible, but Dylan needed her on command. So here I am, again, standing at the edge of destruction, simply waiting for it to fall upon me, and for me to lift it off the shoulders of my crew.
I walk down the hall mechanically, which is the best that I can do. As I walk, I detect someone about to turn a corner towards me. It is the mysterious Trance. She talks to me, and comforts me for a few minutes, and as I say goodbye, I know, I will not see her again.
I continue down the hall until I reach the room where I was first activated. Flashes of Harpers face race through my mind, and a tear fills my eyes, for I will see him only in my memories.
Tyr. He never much cared for me. I was nothing more than a machine to him, but I will prove to him how worthy I am, to be considered a brave soldier.
Beka treated me like an equal. She loved and watched over me. She is my sister, and friend. My Beka, we will meet in great places.
Dylan, my captain; my heart. There are many reasons why I should hate him, but all dissolve when I see his precious smile. He is the only one that knows how I feel, but he will be lost to me forever if I do not hide them from him now.
As I disconnect myself from my AI, the realization of my mission sinks in. As a mindless zombie I prepare a slipfighter for launch. A memory from a few days before fills my mind...
"The launch mechanism is fried, Dylan. We can't fire the nova bomb at the planet." Harper screamed through an air mask. The visual on the screen showed the diminishing of the planet's ozone layer, and the toxic contents of the planet's atmosphere spilling out into space. One of the nearby planets moved along its orbit into the path of the toxins as they drifted. "Someone's gonna have to go and do it manually."
As my foot left the floor of the ship for the last time, I felt all of my emotions come pouring out of me at once. That's right Dylan, send the expendable one. Harper will build another, maybe a stronger one. He said that he could recreate my memories. She will be just like me in every way. To them. How can I be angry with them? Anyone else would inhale the toxins and would never reach the planet. I would gladly give myself for them. That is what I have been programmed to do - trained to do.
There will be no goodbyes. Harper and Dylan are the only ones that know of what I must do. The other Rommie will be ready before they even question my disappearance. As the doors open to the vastness of space, I am taken as if a humble child. I will not see another star again. I leave the docking bay and get out of the way. The Andromeda Ascendant moves away towards a slipstream portal. The toxins cannot be allowed to enter inhabited space. I sit here, waiting for my last orders.
"Andromeda, execute pattern BETA." Dylan's voice rings through the intercom.
I will be their protector as I once was. I will save them from their nightmares. I am no longer the Andromeda Ascendant of The Free Worlds' Commonwealth, I am Rommie. And as I hurtle towards this planet I think about my heart, no matter how artificial, and how this task will complete my being. I am Rommie, and I will make the ultimate sacrifice for those I love – for my family.