Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda.
Copyright: I own Cadoris so please ask if you wish to use him.
Author's note: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed my story and to those of you who have read my story. It is nice to get feedback so that you know if you are doing something right.
Hell's Wrath
Cadoris looked at Harper and wondered what had happened to Earth. The way he remembered it was the way that he had always hoped it would be. He owed Harper an explanation of what Earth was like. So he said, "Well how was Earth all those years ago. It was a place that was beautiful even though man was already destroying the world. Oh they didn't realize it but they were."
Cadoris walked over and sat down with his legs crossed Indian style in front of him. He then looked up at Harper who had walked over and was leaning against the Medical table. Harper said before Cadoris started to speak again, "So humans were always destructive. I should have known that even though I didn't want to truly believe it. I had hoped that it was the Mogog that had caused Earth to be ruined."
"Who knows I was frozen for many years, but back to earth. Most people were nice and a person could get to know them with a little effort. It was the world leaders who a person had to watch. At a hostile action they would retaliate with force. Many innocents were killed because world leaders thought they controlled the world. I was trained as an assassin as I said before. I was the greatest in history. I had more than 200 confirmed kills in only three years. I killed more than that though when my life was in danger," Cadoris said shaking his head at the memory.
"I was foolish at that time and I thought that I was doing the world a favor by killing the men I was assigned to kill. Of course the President was just leading me around like a sheep. Of course you don't want to hear about that so I will tell you about the land. It was beautiful. There were trees and forests even though they were diminishing. There were oceans and lakes that couples went to, to be alone. The air was clean in the country and a person could just dream out in the woods with the sounds of wildlife all around you and a breeze blowing through the trees," Cadoris said. He smiled then, as he knew that someone was outside the door listening.
"You might as well come on in so that you can listen a bit easier," Cadoris said. He had known that they were out there because he could sense them. It was a side effect of so much testing on him.
The door slid open and Trance walked into the room. She looked a bit guilty for standing outside the door and listening. "I am sorry for listening without letting you know. I was just wondering what Earth was like. No one talks about it and I was curious. That and I came to tell you that we now have a room ready for you," Trance said in her beautiful voice.
"Don't be sorry. I don't mind talking about Earth and if you want you can listen as well," Cadoris said motioning for her to join them. She walked over and sat down next to Cadoris with her back against the wall.
Harper looked lost to Cadoris's words as if he was living in the days of old walking in the forests with the breeze on his face. "Earth sounds like it was once a good place to live. Now though it is nothing but a living hell," Harper said as he looked at Cadoris. "Please continue because I want to hear anything else you want to say."
So Cadoris continued to tell the two of them about Earth and what it was like to live there. "Cities dotted the land like ants and some of those cities thought that they could do whatever they wanted. These cities started a conclave of their own and banded together. In time though I was told to assassinate the leaders of the cities. It took me six months and then the cities were brought back under control," Cadoris said sadly. He had not liked killing those men since some of them had had families.
"Perhaps though my favorite time of the year was winter. You could walk around and hear every little sound because with the newly fallen snow everything was quiet. Everything had a majestic look to it when covered in snow and the cities didn't look like a cancer to the land. A person could walk to a forest and that was the most beautiful of all with the trees covered in the snow and the animals playing like children in the snow. The mountains were also nice. If you climbed them you could look out over the land and see the forests below through the clouds. It was a wonderful sight and one that I will never forget as long as I live," Cadoris said. He then continued to tell them of the world and what it was like for another hour or so. He then decided that he needed some rest and they let him go to his room.
* * * * *
It had been an hour since Cadoris had left Harper and Trance. Harper had gone back to his quarters and was thinking about what Cadoris had told him about the Earth of old. Harper wished that he could have lived in such a time and seen such sights if Cadoris was telling the truth. Harper felt that he was simply because Cadoris had no reason to lie about such things.
Harper was just having a hard time picturing a desolate earth like he knew covered in trees with mountains and grass and lakes. It was just difficult to grasp and more difficult to picture. He just wished that he could see what Earth used to look like instead of the earth that he had been born to.
Harper wanted to swim in lakes and run in the forests and climb the mountains. He wanted to see what life was like and he wanted to experience it but he knew that he never would. At least never experience that on Earth. He might be able to on another planet that had such things but it just wouldn't be the same. He wanted Earth to be the way it used to be instead of the hell that it was now.
Harper knew that Earth would never be that way but he could dream. He did dream that night as he fell asleep. He dreamt of an Earth where he had a family of his own and Earth was like it had been described to him. Where his children could play in the snow and run across the grass without fear of being killed.
* * * * *
Trance was in her quarters and she too was thinking about what Cadoris had told them about Earth. She walked over to one of the plants in her room and watered it as she thought that it could have possibly come from Earth. The plant could have been a member of the plants from Earth all those years ago.
Trance wished that she could have walked through the forests during wintertime with the snow covering the trees. She thought that it would be nice to see all of the wildlife and to see all of the trees and plants. She loved plants and such. It was nice to think that a planet that was so bad now had at one time been kind of a peaceful place covered with beautiful trees and plants.
She was glad that Cadoris had told her about Earth and not told her to leave him and Harper alone like Tyr would have. Some of the others would have just ignored her and carried on like they didn't even know that she was there. She liked Cadoris because he treated her nicely. It was quite the change from the treatment of Tyr and even Dylan at times.
She wanted to get to know Cadoris better. He was an interesting person with many secrets just like her and it was nice to know that there was someone else with secrets that everyone wants to know. She had secrets and everyone was trying to find them out. The problem was she didn't even know what the answers were to some of her secrets.
Those thoughts filled her mind as she lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Her dreams were ones filled with her walking through forests with animals coming up to her to be petted. She felt at home and it was a good feeling.
* * * * *
The next morning when Cadoris awoke his first thoughts were of the life that he would never know again. He was an assassin and in a life like he must lead now there was no room for an assassin. He had been told about the Commonwealth and about Dylan's vision. He knew that there was no room for his old ways. He knew that he couldn't be an assassin and still be a part of the crew.
He rummaged through his bag that had been frozen with him and he pulled out his suit. It was black from head to toe with a white facemask. Cadoris had been known to his enemies as the Ghost as well as the champion of Death. He had truly been the best and now he was just on old Relic. Cadoris was thinking that he should have told Dylan that Cadoris wasn't his real name but his code name. The problem was Cadoris didn't know how to rectify that.
Cadoris put on his outfit and then decided that he needed to go meet his new friends. They were his friends he could tell. If they weren't his friends they would have tried to kill him by now, which they hadn't done. He wished in his old life he had had friends, but he couldn't due to who he was and how he had been trained. He had broken the rules though and had made three friends. They had been the only family that he had.
Cadoris walked out of his room and down the hall to where he had been told the night before was where everyone met to eat breakfast. Cadoris had never been one to eat breakfast but he decided to indulge his new friends. Cadoris had been a person who had ate when he could due to his assignments.
He was outside the door and he opened it and walked in. As he came into the room he noticed that there was no one awake yet or if they were they had already ate. Cadoris shrugged his shoulders and started to rummage around trying to find something to cook. It was going to be interesting to try and figure out how everything worked. While he was looking the door opened and Rommie walked in.
"Are you finding what you are looking for," she asked.
"No I am not. I can't seem to find the food anywhere," Cadoris said as he opened another door and found nothing.
"The food is over there in that refrigerator. You will find the same foods that you ate I am sure," Rommie said as she pointed to one of the small doors that he hadn't opened. He opened the door and sure enough found bacon and eggs, which surprised him a bit. He looked at what she had called a refrigerator and decided that it was nothing like the ones from his time. This one was much more advanced in the way it worked and the way it cooled things. It also held more than should have been possible.
"Well Rommie I guess that I will be the one to cook since I am awake and no one else is," Cadoris said as he started to cook with the help of Rommie.
Everyone came in and they ate in shifts. As someone came in they ate and then left to do other things. Tyr was the first and he didn't say anything to Cadoris which didn't bother Cadoris that much. He was used to being alone though he wasn't a fan of it.
Next came Harper, Beka, and Rev who ate what he had cooked. Surprisingly they liked it which they thought that they wouldn't. "You know this is really good," Beka said.
"Thanks it was a little skill I learned while in France. My target was a chef and in order to get close to him I became a student of his," Cadoris said.
After they were done eating they all had to go do things as well which left only Dylan and Trance. Dylan was the next one to come in and he was carrying a small baton in his hand. He looked at Cadoris and said, "Every member of my crew is given a force lance to let people know that you are High Guard. This one I am holding is yours. Once you take it the lance will be attuned to you and no one else will be able to use it."
Dylan extended the lance and Cadoris took it. "Thank you Dylan but I don't have a clue how to use this," Cadoris said as his hands closed on the smooth haft.
"It is easy to use. That button there fires the energy burst and that button there makes the lance grow to it's full size," Dylan said pointing to the two said buttons.
"Ok so maybe I should give it a try here in a little bit," Cadoris said.
"Why not know," Dylan asked.
"Because I am waiting for Trance to show up," Cadoris said.
"She won't be here because she never eats breakfast," Dylan said. "Why don't you and me go have a sparring match with Tyr since he has been wanting to fight you since he met you."
"Fine I will be there shortly, I just need to clean up," Cadoris said.
* * * * *
Around an hour later in the gym everyone was gathered for they had heard the news that Cadoris was going to fight Tyr in a sparring match so that he could learn how to use his new force lance. They were all expecting a show and they were hoping that Cadoris wouldn't let them down.
They knew nothing of his training or the way he fought but they all knew that Tyr was a excellent fighter. In fact they were a little worried that Tyr wouldn't show any mercy to Cadoris. The fight was to be with the force lances so that Cadoris could learn to use his.
Tyr was already in place in the middle of the floor with his force lance extended into the staff. At that time Cadoris entered the room and was wearing a black shirt that was long sleeved and covered his neck as well. They didn't know it but there was a reason he was wearing the shirt. It was his sparring shirt and he always wore it when he was going to have a sparring match with someone.
He walked over to stand across from Tyr and Cadoris smiled and said, "When you are ready Tyr." Everyone was surprised by that statement because Cadoris had yet to extend his force lance to its staff length.
Tyr smiled wryly and swung his staff in a wide arc aimed at Cadoris's midsection. Cadoris stepped back with ease evading the attack. Cadoris stood still and waited for Tyr to attack again. Tyr charged in and was hoping to jab the end of his lance into Cadoris's stomach but Cadoris swayed aside and caught Tyr with a punch across the side of the head which sent Tyr reeling.
Tyr recovered and charged in not using the lance this time and instead punched for Cadoris's head. Cadoris took the punch and rolled with it. As he did though Tyr jabbed him in the chest with the lance. The air left Cadoris's lungs in a rush but Cadoris was able to recover his breath rather fast.
Tyr stepped back and smiled as everyone watched on. Tyr shook his hand while standing there though as if it had hurt to hit Cadoris in the face. Cadoris reached up and felt where his lip was split. He tasted the blood and smiled at Tyr and said, "You did good."
Tyr's smile vanished when Cadoris said that. He didn't know why it had hurt so much when he had hit Cadoris or why Cadoris had said he had done good but it made Tyr nervous. He swung the staff up from where he had the tip resting on the floor. The end whistled through the air and connected with Cadoris's head. Tyr had put enough force behind the blow that Cadoris fell back and landed on the ground.
Cadoris reached up and felt the side of his head where Tyr had hit him and when his hand came away it was covered in blood. So thought Cadoris Tyr wants a real fight then that is what I will give him. Cadoris dipped the tips of his fingers into the blood on his head and drew a thick line above each eye that extended upward to his forehead. Cadoris then stood up and grabbed his force lance. He pressed the button to make it extend and then he set the staff twirling. Faster and faster he twirled it as he started forward. Tyr swung his staff for Cadoris's legs and Cadoris blocked it with his own staff. Tyr swung upwards then hoping to catch Cadoris off guard but Cadoris blocked that attack as well.
Cadoris was starting to enjoy himself. It had been too long since he had fought anyone and he was enjoying the feeling of the blood singing in his veins. Cadoris blocked all of Tyr's attacks and then decided that he was going to go on the offensive. He swung his lance and Tyr blocked the end with his own lance. Cadoris ran the end of his lance down the length of Tyr's lance until Tyr's fingers were crushed against his own lance. Cadoris then brought the other end of his lance around in a quick swing that connected with Tyr's side. Tyr doubled over clutching his side and Cadoris swung his lance again and this time Tyr blocked it right before it would have connected with his head.
Cadoris was pushing with a bit of his strength and Tyr was having a hard time holding the lances away from him. Tyr kicked out at Cadoris's legs and hit Cadoris in the knee. Cadoris's knee buckled and Tyr disarmed Cadoris. Cadoris growled at Tyr then and stood up. He started towards Tyr when Tyr said, "You are beaten so just give up."
Cadoris snarled and launched himself at Tyr who swung his staff hoping to knock Cadoris out. Cadoris though caught the staff and pulled it out of Tyr's hands. The lance shocked Cadoris but Cadoris paid it no mind he was going to win the fight. He tossed the lance aside and charged in at Tyr who punched at Cadoris. Cadoris caught his fist and landed a punch of his own on Tyr's face. He then picked Tyr up and tossed him aside. Cadoris followed right behind him and landed a few more punches on Tyr who couldn't even block them they were moving so fast. As the last punch landed Tyr slumped to the ground unconscious bleeding from a split lip and from his nose.
"I win Tyr. Sorry about the beating but I had to show you that I never give up," Cadoris said as he walked form the room to leave everyone staring after him.
They carried Tyr to the medical ward and had Trance examine him. There was nothing that was seriously hurt but perhaps Tyr's pride when he awoke. Tyr awoke not long after they had examined him and he was in pain. "He can hit hard and he has little mercy it seems. He is a great warrior," Tyr said and they all knew those words for the compliment that they were.
It was not long after that they headed for the nearby planet of Tratin so that they could get supplies. They were on their way now with a new crew member and they wondered just what he would think of civilization now in the future compared to what he had known so long ago.