Rating: PG13
The Truth of Good and Evil by Katia
FINAL PART
Harper resisted the temptation to shrink back in his chair. He was going
to fight this the only way he could, although he knew it would make his
death all the more painful.
"Great. Just Great! Now I have to die to show how much SHE scares
you shitless, pansy-man...I mean, you're way worse than her! She
probably had a good plan, y'know. But, you just can't stand being
ordered about by such a babe, can you. Oh no, a woman with authority.
That scares the hell out of you, don't it, big guy?"
"Will you show no respect, boy? Maybe I won't kill you yet...maybe I'll
just cut out your tongue..." He grabbed Harper by the hair, forcing his
head back, taking the knife in his other hand.
"No...I said Not Yet!" The Female grabbed the male by the wrist, and
wrestled him to the floor. He was slightly larger than she was, but she
had been better trained in combat.
Harper let out a long shuddering sigh. How much longer could he keep
this up? Still, the voice inside him kept on saying "Mustn't fear, mustn't
fear."
"You're both pathetic!" he squeaked. Then he stopped and took a deep
breath. He must sound more dignified. "You need me!" hissed Harper.
He was angry now. "You need me, both of you, to show how powerful
you are. Not just me, you needed Trance, the Llanyi, and every other
being you've laid waste to. You needed us all. Without us, you're
nothing. Power works both ways, you see... "
The Male laughed and shook himself out of The Females grip. He had
heard what Harper had said, but was pretending he hadn't. He addressed
the female, laughing in her face. "OK, then, if that's the sort of mate you
want, then take him. I'm sure he'd oblige...just make sure your children
are drowned at birth. The offspring of a runt and a hysterical woman..."
"Yeah," said Harper, "They'd have to die, wouldn't they...'cos you'd
fear them. In case they grew up great and strong...and you couldn't push
them around, like you have to push around everyone you fear." Harper
could hardly believe he was saying this. It was like something was
speaking through him. "Like, if you silence me now... if you kill me...
you'll show your fear for me...even if you simply fear that...I don't fear
you. I give you your power...without me...you are nothing."
The Male stared at the Female, who was now in possession of the knife.
"Just kill him. NOW! Or I shall do it with my bare hands."
"No!" The female smashed her fist down again, this time on the back of
the chair where Harper was tied, causing him to jolt forward. The male
forced her out of the way, and hit Harper across the back of the head
Hard.
"...you gain nothing from my death...you...just...prove...I am right....in
front of her...to you both....I AM A GOD!!"
Harper slipped out of consciousness wondering whether they were quite
the right words in the circumstances. The Female stared at him and was
still staring moments later when they began to receive an incoming
message.
***
After the formalities of introduction were over with, Dylan got straight to
the point: "You have abducted a member of my crew. I demand that you
hand him back over."
The Male, who Dylan had been addressing, replied. "That will not be
possible."
"Are you telling me my crew member is dead?"
"No," stated the female, pushing herself in front of the male. "I am the
captain of this vessel and it is me you should address. He is still alive."
"Then I demand that you hand him back over, or I will have to take
action. This is a High Guard Ship of the Line. I think you know you are
outgunned and outnumbered...."
Suddenly the link went down. The Female had snapped it off. "I need to
think about this rationally."
"Kill him, you foolish woman! We do not have to hand him over. Why
should we take orders from that captain? He is a relic from the past.
Who does he think he is? The Commonwealth has no authority over
us...it is history"
"We cannot outgun that ship. At the very least, we will damage the
equipment we need to distil the mineral." The Female spoke clinically
and clearly. " It is not worth the risk. You know that this is logical."
Her eyes fell on Harper. She didn't want to hand him back over. And
she didn't want to kill him either. Damn it. He was right. She felt
attracted to him because she needed to dominate people. But, he DIDN'T
fear her. That made her feel something inside...disappointment, no, what
was it? Damn it.
Nietzcheans were not supposed to have these feelings. Sex and desire
was for procreation and recreation, not about needing to feel empowered.
If you desired empowerment, you were weak, and you felt fear. Yet that
was exactly what she did desire, and that is what her crew around her
desired. Thousands like them had the same needs. It did not matter if
they were male or female. The lust for power was born of fear.
However, something deep inside of her knew she did not only feel about
this inferior human in that way. He certainly had guts to say what he had
said. Maybe that was why she did not want him dead...maybe she
admired him.
In a scream of rage and confusion, she snapped back on the link.
"Take him. He is worthless. He is nothing to me."
With a violent smash, the screen went blank again.
***
Harper was fairly surprised to find that the afterlife looked somewhat like
the med. deck on the Andromeda. The first thought he had when he came
to, was that it must be heaven, as there was his beautiful Trance. He
wondered if he'd been good enough to see him parents, his cousins
maybe...however, as he became more aware of himself he began to doubt
that this was heaven. For a start, he had a dull ache in his head, and he
felt kind of sick. "Ok," he thought "I figure I must be still alive. But if I
am, how can that be..."
"Trance!" He shouted, sitting up with a jolt.
Trance jumped. "Oh, Harper, lie down will you...you're fine. It's just
concussion."
"But, you....you're...you..."
"I got away," said Trance. " They never laid a finger on me. Now, will
you shhhhhh."
Harper lay back down. Too much was going on in his head but he didn't
want to think or feel about anything right now. Nothing at all.
***
The Andromeda had fired a few superficial shots on the Nietzschean ship.
Rommie said she thought it would be enough to irreparably damage their
sensitive distilling equipment and at least set them back in their plans a
good few months.
However, now Dylan had a dilemma. The Llanyi had not signed the
articles, nor said they ever would. Yet, he felt he should not leave such a
vulnerable race at the mercy of the plunderers and destroyers who would
inevitable return to them. If it was not the ones they had encountered,
there were plenty of others.
Tyr joined him on the deck. "You know, what is right for one man, is not
necessarily right for another."
"Nietzsche?" said Dylan. Try nodded.
"What he says, we must interpret, we must think about," said Try. "His
ideas were constructive...on survival, on discipline, on the assertion of
self. Some...maybe I have to question. Nietzche was just a human. He
tried to deny his fear."
"Like the Llanyi?" said Dylan, with half a smile.
"No. I'm not sure he was like the Llanyi," said Tyr. "Maybe, on
reflection, we could all learn a little from them." Tyr could scarcely
believe he said that. "They had no fear, Dylan. That is why they did not
sign."
"But they knew they were in danger. They had no means of resistance."
"Yes they did, their resistance was their lack of fear. Those who came to
dominate them, did so because they knew fear themselves. They had to
tyrannise to feel power, to feel alive. By showing no fear...the Llanyi
were resisting in the only and best way they knew. And they were still
there. They were alive and flourishing. They had survived. Somehow."
"Yeah, somehow." said Dylan. "But, still, that does not help them if the
atmosphere on their planet is destroyed."
"They will survive, Dylan." Said Tyr, and for some strange reason, Dylan
found he believed that he was right.
Just then, Beka joined them.
"Is Harper alright?"
"He seems fine, actually, and Trance is fine too. Harper didn't seem to
want me about, though."
Dylan raised his eyebrows. "I guess they can look after themselves."
***
"Trance?" Harper sat up on the bed. He looked at her, straight in the
eye, like he had when they had taken her from him.
"How did you get away? C'mon, pleeeease! Just for once, I want to
know the truth."
A smile flickered in the corner of Trances mouth and her tail twitched
slightly as Dylan's voice came over the intercom.
"Trance, I need you on the bridge now, urgently!"
"Sorry, Harper, I've got to go."
Harper watched her skip off. He realised he didn't really care what the
answer was. She was here, and she was alive. And, she was good, he was
happy to believe that. On this, he did not care if he was right or wrong.
Finis.
"It never occurred to Nietzsche that the lust for power, with which he
endows his superman, is itself an outcome of fear. Those who do not fear
their neighbours see no necessity to tyrannize over them." - Bertrand
Russell, himself the holder of some debatable opinions, on Nietzche.
Authors Note: Thank you for reading. This is my first fanfic ever. I really enjoyed
writing it...and I want to do it better next time. Comments would be welcome,
especially constructive criticism. My email is katia3173@yahoo.co.uk. I've already
figured I want to ditch some of the thinky stuff next time and concentrate on pace and
action. What do you reckon?
The Truth of Good and Evil by Katia
FINAL PART
Harper resisted the temptation to shrink back in his chair. He was going
to fight this the only way he could, although he knew it would make his
death all the more painful.
"Great. Just Great! Now I have to die to show how much SHE scares
you shitless, pansy-man...I mean, you're way worse than her! She
probably had a good plan, y'know. But, you just can't stand being
ordered about by such a babe, can you. Oh no, a woman with authority.
That scares the hell out of you, don't it, big guy?"
"Will you show no respect, boy? Maybe I won't kill you yet...maybe I'll
just cut out your tongue..." He grabbed Harper by the hair, forcing his
head back, taking the knife in his other hand.
"No...I said Not Yet!" The Female grabbed the male by the wrist, and
wrestled him to the floor. He was slightly larger than she was, but she
had been better trained in combat.
Harper let out a long shuddering sigh. How much longer could he keep
this up? Still, the voice inside him kept on saying "Mustn't fear, mustn't
fear."
"You're both pathetic!" he squeaked. Then he stopped and took a deep
breath. He must sound more dignified. "You need me!" hissed Harper.
He was angry now. "You need me, both of you, to show how powerful
you are. Not just me, you needed Trance, the Llanyi, and every other
being you've laid waste to. You needed us all. Without us, you're
nothing. Power works both ways, you see... "
The Male laughed and shook himself out of The Females grip. He had
heard what Harper had said, but was pretending he hadn't. He addressed
the female, laughing in her face. "OK, then, if that's the sort of mate you
want, then take him. I'm sure he'd oblige...just make sure your children
are drowned at birth. The offspring of a runt and a hysterical woman..."
"Yeah," said Harper, "They'd have to die, wouldn't they...'cos you'd
fear them. In case they grew up great and strong...and you couldn't push
them around, like you have to push around everyone you fear." Harper
could hardly believe he was saying this. It was like something was
speaking through him. "Like, if you silence me now... if you kill me...
you'll show your fear for me...even if you simply fear that...I don't fear
you. I give you your power...without me...you are nothing."
The Male stared at the Female, who was now in possession of the knife.
"Just kill him. NOW! Or I shall do it with my bare hands."
"No!" The female smashed her fist down again, this time on the back of
the chair where Harper was tied, causing him to jolt forward. The male
forced her out of the way, and hit Harper across the back of the head
Hard.
"...you gain nothing from my death...you...just...prove...I am right....in
front of her...to you both....I AM A GOD!!"
Harper slipped out of consciousness wondering whether they were quite
the right words in the circumstances. The Female stared at him and was
still staring moments later when they began to receive an incoming
message.
***
After the formalities of introduction were over with, Dylan got straight to
the point: "You have abducted a member of my crew. I demand that you
hand him back over."
The Male, who Dylan had been addressing, replied. "That will not be
possible."
"Are you telling me my crew member is dead?"
"No," stated the female, pushing herself in front of the male. "I am the
captain of this vessel and it is me you should address. He is still alive."
"Then I demand that you hand him back over, or I will have to take
action. This is a High Guard Ship of the Line. I think you know you are
outgunned and outnumbered...."
Suddenly the link went down. The Female had snapped it off. "I need to
think about this rationally."
"Kill him, you foolish woman! We do not have to hand him over. Why
should we take orders from that captain? He is a relic from the past.
Who does he think he is? The Commonwealth has no authority over
us...it is history"
"We cannot outgun that ship. At the very least, we will damage the
equipment we need to distil the mineral." The Female spoke clinically
and clearly. " It is not worth the risk. You know that this is logical."
Her eyes fell on Harper. She didn't want to hand him back over. And
she didn't want to kill him either. Damn it. He was right. She felt
attracted to him because she needed to dominate people. But, he DIDN'T
fear her. That made her feel something inside...disappointment, no, what
was it? Damn it.
Nietzcheans were not supposed to have these feelings. Sex and desire
was for procreation and recreation, not about needing to feel empowered.
If you desired empowerment, you were weak, and you felt fear. Yet that
was exactly what she did desire, and that is what her crew around her
desired. Thousands like them had the same needs. It did not matter if
they were male or female. The lust for power was born of fear.
However, something deep inside of her knew she did not only feel about
this inferior human in that way. He certainly had guts to say what he had
said. Maybe that was why she did not want him dead...maybe she
admired him.
In a scream of rage and confusion, she snapped back on the link.
"Take him. He is worthless. He is nothing to me."
With a violent smash, the screen went blank again.
***
Harper was fairly surprised to find that the afterlife looked somewhat like
the med. deck on the Andromeda. The first thought he had when he came
to, was that it must be heaven, as there was his beautiful Trance. He
wondered if he'd been good enough to see him parents, his cousins
maybe...however, as he became more aware of himself he began to doubt
that this was heaven. For a start, he had a dull ache in his head, and he
felt kind of sick. "Ok," he thought "I figure I must be still alive. But if I
am, how can that be..."
"Trance!" He shouted, sitting up with a jolt.
Trance jumped. "Oh, Harper, lie down will you...you're fine. It's just
concussion."
"But, you....you're...you..."
"I got away," said Trance. " They never laid a finger on me. Now, will
you shhhhhh."
Harper lay back down. Too much was going on in his head but he didn't
want to think or feel about anything right now. Nothing at all.
***
The Andromeda had fired a few superficial shots on the Nietzschean ship.
Rommie said she thought it would be enough to irreparably damage their
sensitive distilling equipment and at least set them back in their plans a
good few months.
However, now Dylan had a dilemma. The Llanyi had not signed the
articles, nor said they ever would. Yet, he felt he should not leave such a
vulnerable race at the mercy of the plunderers and destroyers who would
inevitable return to them. If it was not the ones they had encountered,
there were plenty of others.
Tyr joined him on the deck. "You know, what is right for one man, is not
necessarily right for another."
"Nietzsche?" said Dylan. Try nodded.
"What he says, we must interpret, we must think about," said Try. "His
ideas were constructive...on survival, on discipline, on the assertion of
self. Some...maybe I have to question. Nietzche was just a human. He
tried to deny his fear."
"Like the Llanyi?" said Dylan, with half a smile.
"No. I'm not sure he was like the Llanyi," said Tyr. "Maybe, on
reflection, we could all learn a little from them." Tyr could scarcely
believe he said that. "They had no fear, Dylan. That is why they did not
sign."
"But they knew they were in danger. They had no means of resistance."
"Yes they did, their resistance was their lack of fear. Those who came to
dominate them, did so because they knew fear themselves. They had to
tyrannise to feel power, to feel alive. By showing no fear...the Llanyi
were resisting in the only and best way they knew. And they were still
there. They were alive and flourishing. They had survived. Somehow."
"Yeah, somehow." said Dylan. "But, still, that does not help them if the
atmosphere on their planet is destroyed."
"They will survive, Dylan." Said Tyr, and for some strange reason, Dylan
found he believed that he was right.
Just then, Beka joined them.
"Is Harper alright?"
"He seems fine, actually, and Trance is fine too. Harper didn't seem to
want me about, though."
Dylan raised his eyebrows. "I guess they can look after themselves."
***
"Trance?" Harper sat up on the bed. He looked at her, straight in the
eye, like he had when they had taken her from him.
"How did you get away? C'mon, pleeeease! Just for once, I want to
know the truth."
A smile flickered in the corner of Trances mouth and her tail twitched
slightly as Dylan's voice came over the intercom.
"Trance, I need you on the bridge now, urgently!"
"Sorry, Harper, I've got to go."
Harper watched her skip off. He realised he didn't really care what the
answer was. She was here, and she was alive. And, she was good, he was
happy to believe that. On this, he did not care if he was right or wrong.
Finis.
"It never occurred to Nietzsche that the lust for power, with which he
endows his superman, is itself an outcome of fear. Those who do not fear
their neighbours see no necessity to tyrannize over them." - Bertrand
Russell, himself the holder of some debatable opinions, on Nietzche.
Authors Note: Thank you for reading. This is my first fanfic ever. I really enjoyed
writing it...and I want to do it better next time. Comments would be welcome,
especially constructive criticism. My email is katia3173@yahoo.co.uk. I've already
figured I want to ditch some of the thinky stuff next time and concentrate on pace and
action. What do you reckon?