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If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.
Robert Fritz
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The twisted paths of the slipstream covered the main view screen. Beka navigated Andromeda through the stream with natural skill and expertise. Tyr was on the other side of the Command Deck, examining readings from the sensors. The minutes passed slowly, and my mind wandered to the newest mystery we faced: the intruder and the organisms that accompanied her into Andromeda. Trance seemed very close to an answer. I had confidence in her abilities and dedication. I was almost certain she would run onto the Command Deck with the solution by the day's end.
"Dylan!" Trance ran onto the Command Deck as if she had read my mind. "The intruder is conscious."
"Is she capable of speaking to us?" This was just as good as the answer about the organisms I had hoped for. It might provide us with more information than any sensors readings ever could.
"She was talking with Harper when I left." Trance was smiling. I was glad the girl had survived for Trance's sake. In my time with her, she had only lost two patients while we were off ship. Both times, she took it very hard and personally.
"Tyr, take over navigations. Beka, you're with me." I followed Trance down to the Medical Bay.
Harper was holding the intruder, who was audibly sobbing, rocking her back and forth. The green rash from the Perseid Fever was obvious, even though his back was to us. "It's going to be all right. You don't have to cry," he said to her.
"The frog prince, more frog than prince, with his princess. How sweet." Beka was the first to speak.
"Too bad the wicked witch had to ruin the moment." He was quick to respond, with a grin. His embarrassment was visible underneath the sarcasm, though.
"I'm Captain Dylan Hunt. This is my first officer, Beka Valentine. We've come to talk to you." I was gentle with my tone. The girl looked rather young to me, probably not over seventeen or eighteen.
Harper began walking back towards another bed. "Can Harper please stay with me while we talk?" the girl asked.
"I don't see any harm in it if he doesn't mind staying," I replied.
Harper turned around and sat down on the bed beside her. She immediately looked more comfortable.
"I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble. From what Harper's said, I've stirred up quite a commotion. That was not my intention. I didn't mean to interfere with your lives...oh, and I'm Lise Bennett."
"Do you know how you came aboard?" Beka asked.
"I'm really not sure. The last thing I can remember is walking home. I'm not sure what happened between there and here. And there's another thing. Harper said it's 10087. That memory is from 2001. It's been a very long time..." She was on the verge of tears, and I felt her pain. I knew what it was to have lost everything.
"An advanced biostasis unit!" Trance exclaimed. "That's why the readings looked so familiar. I've seen one like it before a few years ago, but they're really rare. That's how she lived this long. And contact with Andromeda caused the stasis unit to deactivate and drop her inside."
"That explains a lot. We'll let you rest now." I left the Medical Bay with Beka behind me.
"Why didn't you ask her what she plans to do now?" Beka asked.
"I don't want to push her. Let this sink in before we give her even more to worry about."
"We're going to be at Messina in less than an hour. We've got those ambassadors to take to Utrecht for the conference. Utrecht is a nice planet on the second continent."
"She knows nothing about what's happened over the past years. We should let her learn what there is to learn before just stranding her on a planet."
"Dylan, I know you feel a connection with her because of what you've been through, but we know hardly anything about her. She could be lying."
"We have no evidence that she's lied to us. And what's one more person aboard Andromeda going to do if we keep an eye on her?" I knew Beka was making a valid point, but my conscience wouldn't let me just leave Lise somewhere as ignorant as she was. I would have Harper create and install a secret surveillance system if anything suspicious turned up.
"Approximately thirty minutes until we arrive at Messina." Tyr left the navigations seat and returned to the other side of the Command Deck.
"Messina's also a good planet," Beka said.
"The inhabitants of the homeworld are xenophobic. They have to be trained in a special academy to be diplomats or ambassadors off planet." I knew what she was doing and didn't appreciate her going against my judgment.
"What did you find out about the intruder?" Tyr asked.
"Her name is Lise Bennett. She said she's been in a biostasis unit since approximately 2001," I replied.
"Just because she is young doesn't mean she is innocent. She hasn't done anything to show she is trustworthy," Tyr said.
"I didn't say I trusted her. I'm just giving her the benefit of the doubt. She can't cause much damage in the Medical Bay, if she wanted to."
The rest of the voyage to Messina was silent. My crew was evidently against my decision, but they were good people and would follow my orders. The ambassadors were taken aboard without incident. We began the journey to Utrecht, the major business center of all of the planets from here to Earth and countryside area that was a retirement paradise for business tycoons and those who enjoyed the simple things.
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.
Robert Fritz
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The twisted paths of the slipstream covered the main view screen. Beka navigated Andromeda through the stream with natural skill and expertise. Tyr was on the other side of the Command Deck, examining readings from the sensors. The minutes passed slowly, and my mind wandered to the newest mystery we faced: the intruder and the organisms that accompanied her into Andromeda. Trance seemed very close to an answer. I had confidence in her abilities and dedication. I was almost certain she would run onto the Command Deck with the solution by the day's end.
"Dylan!" Trance ran onto the Command Deck as if she had read my mind. "The intruder is conscious."
"Is she capable of speaking to us?" This was just as good as the answer about the organisms I had hoped for. It might provide us with more information than any sensors readings ever could.
"She was talking with Harper when I left." Trance was smiling. I was glad the girl had survived for Trance's sake. In my time with her, she had only lost two patients while we were off ship. Both times, she took it very hard and personally.
"Tyr, take over navigations. Beka, you're with me." I followed Trance down to the Medical Bay.
Harper was holding the intruder, who was audibly sobbing, rocking her back and forth. The green rash from the Perseid Fever was obvious, even though his back was to us. "It's going to be all right. You don't have to cry," he said to her.
"The frog prince, more frog than prince, with his princess. How sweet." Beka was the first to speak.
"Too bad the wicked witch had to ruin the moment." He was quick to respond, with a grin. His embarrassment was visible underneath the sarcasm, though.
"I'm Captain Dylan Hunt. This is my first officer, Beka Valentine. We've come to talk to you." I was gentle with my tone. The girl looked rather young to me, probably not over seventeen or eighteen.
Harper began walking back towards another bed. "Can Harper please stay with me while we talk?" the girl asked.
"I don't see any harm in it if he doesn't mind staying," I replied.
Harper turned around and sat down on the bed beside her. She immediately looked more comfortable.
"I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble. From what Harper's said, I've stirred up quite a commotion. That was not my intention. I didn't mean to interfere with your lives...oh, and I'm Lise Bennett."
"Do you know how you came aboard?" Beka asked.
"I'm really not sure. The last thing I can remember is walking home. I'm not sure what happened between there and here. And there's another thing. Harper said it's 10087. That memory is from 2001. It's been a very long time..." She was on the verge of tears, and I felt her pain. I knew what it was to have lost everything.
"An advanced biostasis unit!" Trance exclaimed. "That's why the readings looked so familiar. I've seen one like it before a few years ago, but they're really rare. That's how she lived this long. And contact with Andromeda caused the stasis unit to deactivate and drop her inside."
"That explains a lot. We'll let you rest now." I left the Medical Bay with Beka behind me.
"Why didn't you ask her what she plans to do now?" Beka asked.
"I don't want to push her. Let this sink in before we give her even more to worry about."
"We're going to be at Messina in less than an hour. We've got those ambassadors to take to Utrecht for the conference. Utrecht is a nice planet on the second continent."
"She knows nothing about what's happened over the past years. We should let her learn what there is to learn before just stranding her on a planet."
"Dylan, I know you feel a connection with her because of what you've been through, but we know hardly anything about her. She could be lying."
"We have no evidence that she's lied to us. And what's one more person aboard Andromeda going to do if we keep an eye on her?" I knew Beka was making a valid point, but my conscience wouldn't let me just leave Lise somewhere as ignorant as she was. I would have Harper create and install a secret surveillance system if anything suspicious turned up.
"Approximately thirty minutes until we arrive at Messina." Tyr left the navigations seat and returned to the other side of the Command Deck.
"Messina's also a good planet," Beka said.
"The inhabitants of the homeworld are xenophobic. They have to be trained in a special academy to be diplomats or ambassadors off planet." I knew what she was doing and didn't appreciate her going against my judgment.
"What did you find out about the intruder?" Tyr asked.
"Her name is Lise Bennett. She said she's been in a biostasis unit since approximately 2001," I replied.
"Just because she is young doesn't mean she is innocent. She hasn't done anything to show she is trustworthy," Tyr said.
"I didn't say I trusted her. I'm just giving her the benefit of the doubt. She can't cause much damage in the Medical Bay, if she wanted to."
The rest of the voyage to Messina was silent. My crew was evidently against my decision, but they were good people and would follow my orders. The ambassadors were taken aboard without incident. We began the journey to Utrecht, the major business center of all of the planets from here to Earth and countryside area that was a retirement paradise for business tycoons and those who enjoyed the simple things.
