Disclaimer: I do not own any of Andromeda's characters or other details. All rights belong to Gene Roddenberry and whomever else has legal rights to Andromeda. Casey , along with minor characters, and story idea however are mine.

Hey everyone. I am so sorry for the long delay. First the holidays kept me busy then I just totally forgot about this story. I know, I know. Very slack of me. Again I am very sorry. I hope you like the new chapter. I'm not very good with action and fighting scenes so please forgive me for that too. Thanks again for reading. I hope everyone had a great holiday.

CHAPTER 26

Casey woke up feeling extremely groggy. Her head was in a fog. She was having a hard time waking up. Forcing her eyes to open, however she wasn't able to focus on any one thing. She tried lifting her head, but it felt like it weighed a ton. Her eyes drifted shut to tried to hold them open for long.

"Ah, excellent you're awake." A deep rich masculine voice spoke as the owner stepped further into the room. Automatic doors hissing shut behind the man.

Confused to what was going on and who the man was, Casey opened her eyes again and tried to get her eyes to focus. She didn't recognize the man's voice. The only thing she could see was the man was huge. The stranger and Tyr could stand head to head. She tried to sit up, but found that she couldn't. Still worn out from whatever drug she had running through her system, her head dropped back down on the pillow underneath her head. She tried to move her arms, but they were jerked back. It was then when she realized her wrist were chained to the bed. Becoming upset Casey pull her hands trying to get free, but only ended up hurting her wrist. She tried to move her legs, finding her ankles were chained to the bed also.

"Now, now, you mustn't thrash about so, or you will only hurt yourself." The man said in an uncaring tone.

"Who are you, and where am I?" Casey demanded trying to make her voice steady, but could hear it wobble frightened. She was frustrated with herself for showing any type of weakness, but she ignored it and focused on her capture.

"I am Laurence, out of Samantha from Vincent, leader of the Drago Pride. I have an offer, I think you will find very interesting, and hopefully acceptable. It will spare your pride much grief." Laurence informed her with mock concern and compassion.

"You do know, you did not have to go to all this trouble, just to get an audience with me." Casey said hoping to get on Laurence good side so he would unchain her, not that she held much hope that he would.

"Ah, if I had only known." He sighed in mock distress. "Well it cannot be helped know." Laurence said undisturbed.

"Why don't you release me, and we can talk about you offer." Casey tried again, forcing her voice calmer and poised.

"I don't think so, my dear, at least not yet." Laurence smiled. "If I let you go, you will only hurt yourself with my presents to you. You are still under the effects of the anesthesia."

"What are you talking about?" Casey frowned confused.

"I take it you have not notice them yet." Laurence waving toward her arms.

Casey looked at her arms with a frown and gasped. Above each wrist were three bone blades sticking out of her arm. Each arm was wrapped with a wrist band where the blades stuck out. Casey wanted to cry. She didn't want the stupid blades. That was one thing she had been happy about when she found out she was Nietzschean. She didn't have the bone blades. She could continue to live her life looking as a normal human if she choose too. Now there was no mistaking she was Nietzschean. The only good thing about having the blades now, were she didn't need a weapon when she got free to kill her kidnapper.

"Why?" Casey asked doing her best to keep the hatred out of her voice, and out of her expression. She tried to sound more interestingly curious than anything else.

"Because you are a Nietzschean Princess. No self respecting Nietzschean would be without them. Honestly, I am surprise that Lord Reginald, hasn't seen to it already. But no difference, they are my wedding gift to you."

"Wedding gift?" Casey asked looking at the man as if he had grown an extra head.

"I see I am getting ahead of myself. Allow me start over, and tell you of my offer first." Laurence said grabbing a plastic metal chair and bring it closer to the bed, sitting down. Leaning back as if he was simply visiting with old friends instead of holding someone hostage, he spoke, "My offer to you is one of marriage. If you were to marry me, then the Dragos and Atreus would combine Prides. The Atreus's would become the Dragos brothers and sisters. Then their would be no need for war between us. We could live in harmony. You will take your rightful place by my side, as my Queen." Laurence said quite pleased with his plan.

Casey thought the man was out of his mind, but she didn't voice her thoughts. "An if I refuse?" Casey asked watching him closely.

Laurence's bright eyes darkened, taking on a sinister cold look.

"Then I'm afraid my dear Princess, you and your pride will be no more. I am sure it has not escaped your notice, that we have been able to block all your meager attacks. Plus the Drago pride is one of the most highly trained pride in all of the known worlds. You stand no chance against us. It would be more wise and humane to accept my offer, and spare the last remaining lives of your dwindling pride." Laurence warned calming, but his voice held a dangerous edge to it that Casey didn't like.

"I'm curious, how were they able to get your information of our plans without our notice?" Casey asked hoping to get him talking. Knowing that Laurence was a prideful man, she hoped that he would boast of his superior intelligence over her and her pride.

"Ah, Thy Lady is a woman with many talents. Her brother is married to one of our women." Laurence smirked quite pleased.

"I see." Casey replied. "I am very tired. May I have some time to think over your gracious offer?" Casey asked hoping he wouldn't argue. She needed time to think of a way to escape.

"But of course. Rest well Princess." Laurence said coming to his feet. He smiled knowingly at Casey. "There is no use in trying to escape. You would never find your way out before you were discovered. I would hate for our future together to have a rocky beginning."

"As you say your excellence, but I make no promises." Casey returned while keeping her voice as proper as was expected from royalty.

"Ah well, at least you are honest." Laurence sighed with a grin, then left her alone.

As soon as the doors shut behind him, Casey started working on trying to free her wrists. Twisting and pulling until blood was dripping onto the bed, and streaming down her arm. The cuts only deepened as she continued desperately to free her right hand. Thankfully she was able to squeez her hand through the small opening of the cuff. Using the blood covering her hand which made her hand slippery. Casey clinched her jaw, and closed her eyes as she pulled one final time pulling her hand free of the cuff. She opened her eyes, and gave a small quite happy triumphant cry that she had gotten one of her hands free. Wasting no time she started quickly working on freeing her other hand. Again the blood dripping down her hand, made her hand slippery enough, that with some painful pulling, and twisting she managed to free her hand.

Casey gripped her wrist, squeezing it, trying to ease the pain for a moment before she started working on the cuffs on her ankles.

Cuts and bruises had already started to form around each of her ankles from her attempts to free herself. There was no way she could pull her feet free. She quickly reached down to grab one of the cuffs with her hands. As she did, she accidentally sliced a gash in her left thigh with her bone blades. She bit back a painful cry, then quickly continued with her assault on the cuff on her left ankle. "It's time to use that Nietzschean strength of yours, Casey." Casey told herself, as she grasped the cuff with both hands and pulled. Amazingly, the metal snapped in two. Casey made quick work of the cuff on her right ankle.

Once she was free from her chains, she looked around the room for someway to escape. The only door was the one Laurence had entered and exited. She was almost positive that at least one guard stood outside that door. Grabbing the chair Laurence had used, she headed over to the wall that the door was on. Standing to the left of the door with her back against the wall, she took a couple deep breaths to ready herself. Then reached over and knocked on the metal door. After no response, she knocked again. Again nothing. She knocked a third time, almost positive that Laurence would have stationed a guard at the door just incase she did manage to escape. Seeing how he had warned her not to try, she figured he was expecting her to at least try.

She wasn't disappointed. On the third knock, she heard someone punching in a code into the keypad on the other side of the door. When the door hatch slide open. Casey grabbed the back of her makeshift weapon, and stood rigid waiting for the right moment to attack. First a gun appeared, then a well build Nietzschean woman guard entered the room. Casey knew the chair wouldn't do much if any damage. However, she hoped it would at least stun the female guard, so Casey could have the element of surprise. The hatch closed behind the female Nietzschean, and Casey swung the chair with all her might right into the chest and face of the woman, causing the gun to fly from the woman's hands. Casey went to punch the woman, but the female Nietzschean caught Casey's arm and twisted it around her back.

"You're pitiful." The female Nietzschean laughed mockingly as she shoved Casey to the floor.

Casey climbed to her feet and smile, "I'm just getting warmed up." Casey threw back as she preformed the first move Tyr had taught her. Which ended sending the female Nietzschean across the room, slamming into the wall knocking her unconscious.

"I've got to remember to thank Tyr again." Casey panted to herself as she started undressing the female Nietzschean. Casey discarded her nightgown, and redressed in the leather pants and leather vested shirt that had belonged to the now unconscious woman on the floor. After buckling the last buckles on her new boots, Casey grabbed the gun and smile. "So far so good." Casey breathed rotating her shoulders and neck, then looking down at herself. The clothes were a little tight, but not overly. The boots fitted perfectly, which Casey was very pleased. Casey pulled the female Nietzschean out of the way of the door. Grabbing the woman's pass card, Casey casually exited the room, stepping out into the thankfully empty hall. As she moved about the compound, she tried to blend into the foot traffic that was walking the halls.

Amazingly, she was only recognized, and attacked by a couple of guards. Once again she defeated her attackers with moves Tyr had taught her. However she wasn't use to fighting with the bone blades. While trying to avoid hurting herself with the blades, she left herself open for one of the guards to use his own blades slicing open her side. The pain was severe, but her adrenaline didn't let her focus on the pain as she finished off her attackers. After that one episode, no one paid her much attention.

Casey was scared that Laurence might be correct when he told her she wouldn't be able to make it out, before someone stopped her. The building she was in had numerous hallways, and doors. She didn't have any idea which way to go. She kept going, with her face partly obscured by her hair as she tried to keep her head down as much as possible. She had just turned down another hallway, when someone yelled "STOP HER. SHE'S THE ATREUS PRINCESS!"

Casey broke out into a full out run, as she ran down the hallway trying to find an exit. She ran past a corridor were guards were heading her way. Seeing a window at the end of the hall she had turned down, which was also dead end, but luckily the hall was empty when she entered it. However she knew it wouldn't be that way much longer. She could hear the guards coming towards her. She skidded to a halt in front to the window. By the drop she figured she was either on the third or possibly the fourth floor. She really didn't want to jump from that distance if she didn't have to. Turning back hoping to find another exit, but stopped when guards spotted her, and started running towards her. "Crap!" Casey hissed doing a quick 180, and heading back towards the window.

"Stop or we'll shoot. There is no where else to go" A man yelled the ordered from behind her.

Casey continued to run for the window. Using her gun, she fired off a burst causing the glass to shattered. "Let's hope Nietzscheans always land on their feet." Casey whispered to herself as she vaulted out the window.