Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda.
Copyright: I own Cadoris so please ask if you wish to use him.
Descent
Everyone on the Starship Andromeda Ascendant was wondering about this man that they had found in a space ship that was older than anything on record. They were having second thoughts about selling the ship because it should go to a library or to a museum so that others could see it.
The man though they had offered a place on the quest that they were all on and he had accepted his place among them. He had even bested Tyr in a fight, which was something to say since Tyr was one of the best. The man Cadoris was one who seemed to prefer solitude to anything else though he seemed to enjoy their company when they were around him. They didn't know why that was either but Cadoris knew. It was because he was used to being alone, that it didn't bother him whereas being around people was something new to him. He had a hard time dealing with being around people even though he didn't really want to be alone anymore.
After the battle with Tyr everyone had wanted to know why he hadn't surrendered. He had answered that when he had been trained there was no surrender. He had been trained to fight to the death and so no matter the odds he would do just that. It was a matter of honor with him and he would do as he had always done.
They had then wanted to know what his life had been like and he had told them that his life was lived not in fear because he had learned to do away with both fear and pain. His life had been lived with death at his shoulder and guiding his very actions. He had said that if he ever failed in a mission that his family and friends would die and he would be forced to watch. It had been the only fear that he had ever known. "That is very sad," Trance had said and Cadoris had just shrugged his shoulders because it was his life. They could say what they wanted but he had lived that life and not them.
Now he had no family and no friends really. He was working on trying to make friends but it was a little difficult to make friends with something that looked like a mutated bear that could talk. He was also having trouble understanding Tyr because he would say things that most people wouldn't think were compliments but coming from him they were.
Out of all the crew the one that he found that he liked the best was Trance and that was because of her innocence. She wasn't innocent though but she still acted that way and it was refreshing to see someone who hadn't adapted to the harshness of the galaxy but had become what they wanted. She hadn't let the hardness of the galaxy shape her she was one who had shaped herself and was hoping it seemed to do some good in the different worlds.
Cadoris thrust the thoughts out of his mind and tried to focus on what they were doing. They were just entering a docking bay down on the planet. They had left Rev behind because they were not sure how the people on the planet would react to him. They didn't want him to get hurt or hurt anyone.
The rest of the crew had piled onto the Maru and had headed towards the planet. Beka was the pilot because she had insisted, "If anyone will be using my ship then I will be the one to pilot it. No one knows it like I do." So they had let her be the pilot which was fine with Cadoris since he had no idea how to fly a space ship.
They touched down without anything like a crash, which is what Cadoris had been expecting. Cadoris couldn't help it but every time he saw ships flying around when they were coming in for the landing he was having flashbacks to Star Wars and how they were shot down and no one ever seemed to live. He didn't like the image that brought up so he kept trying not to see any other ships.
After they landed everyone knew where they were going and what they were doing but Cadoris. He just followed them all around and tried to learn without asking questions because he knew they wouldn't give him the kind of answers he wanted anyway.
* * * * *
"Well we need all of this and we will basically be broke after we buy it," Dylan said to his crew who were looking at everything that they needed.
"Dylan why do we need all of that stuff," Cadoris asked having no idea what half of it was and having no clue what the other half was used for.
"Because we have a way of attracting attention and getting things on the Andromeda, well . . . broke. We need all of these spare parts so that we are not left out in space floating around," Dylan said by way of explanation.
"Ok," was all Cadoris said since it was all he could say.
Cadoris helped load all of the parts onto the Maru and that was when he heard something that disturbed him. He heard a voice that sounded like Trance arguing with a man. Trance had went off on her own as had most of the others leaving Dylan and Cadoris to load all of the parts. Trance had said that she wanted to see if she could find a new plant to add to her growing collection.
She had left maybe an hour before but Cadoris was sure that he heard her voice not all that far away from where Dylan and himself were. Cadoris looked over at Dylan and said, "I will be right back I have to go check on something."
"All right Cadoris I could use a break myself," Dylan said heavily as he wiped his brow.
Cadoris walked away from where the Maru was and went down a corridor of the huge building that they were in. The building he was told held a lot of attractions for people and so that was why it was so big. This building housed the parts store as Cadoris called it and any number of other businesses.
Cadoris rounded a corner in the building and came to a sudden stop. He saw a rather ugly creature that looked like a walking rat. He was short only as tall as Trance herself and he had a rather large man that was a Nietzchean. The man was holding Trance and had a gun pointed at her when Cadoris rounded the corner.
"Oh who is this," the rat man said in a weasel like voice.
"I am not important but what is important is that you have a friend of mine and I would like you to free her," Cadoris said without moving for fear they would get nervous and kill Trance.
"I'll tell you what human. I will free her right here if you give me yourself. You see I am into the slave trade and this little pretty thing would fetch a high price. You though would fetch an even better price for your size. So will you give me yourself so that your little friend can go free," the rat man said as he twitched his nose.
"So the universe changes and so it stays the same. There are still those who use fear as a weapon and those who use strength to rule those who are weak," Cadoris shook his head. "I had hoped things would have gotten better but it seems that I am mistaken about that. I will let you have me if you release her right now."
"Well I am not too sure about that. I am thinking that I can have you both and use you in the gladiator area to make a bit of money. If you don't go along with this new proposition then your purple friend here dies," the rat man hissed much like a rat would if it could talk Cadoris thought.
"This is too much you ask little rat man. I don't know what you are and I don't care. I want my friend released and I want her released now. If you don't then I will have to kill you," Cadoris said coldly to the man.
"You won't kill me and you will do what I say. You see I don't want you I just want the girl. I just like to make people think that they are important you see. I had you thinking that you could save your purple friend here and in reality you can't and I have no need of you unless you enter the gladiator tournament," the rat man purred.
"What is to stop me from killing you right now," Cadoris growled.
"What you mean besides us having your friend where if you move she dies. Well I guess this could keep you at bay," the rat man said as he pulled a small gun out of his clothes and fired it at Cadoris who wasn't fast enough to get away. The shot hit him in the shoulder and Cadoris hit the ground from the force of the blow.
He looked up and saw the little rat man standing over him and he heard him say, "The name is Ray and if you want your friend then you have to win the tournament."
He heard them walking away and he called softly after them, "Trance I will save you." Cadoris then passed out for the gun was one that stunned only and didn't harm in any other way.
* * * * *
"Hey Dylan where is Trance and our new boy Cadoris. Are they off together I wonder or what," Beka said slyly when she returned and noticed that Cadoris and Trance were not there.
"I don't know where either of them are Beka. I know Cadoris said he needed to go check on something and if haven't seen him since. I haven't seen Trance since she left with all of you," Dylan said.
"So you loaded all of this by yourself you are such a strong man," Beka said smiling.
Dylan smirked at that remark. That was when they saw Cadoris come stumbling down the hall. He came right up to them and he was not very happy. "What happened," Harper asked.
"I heard a voice that sounded like Trance and so I went to see for sure. What I found was Trance being held by some rat faced man and a Nietzchean. They told me that if I ever wanted to see her again then I would have to enter the gladiator tournament and win," Cadoris said as he stood in front of them all.
"A rat faced man," Beka asked.
"A nightsider probably," Dylan said. "Did he give you a name."
"He said that he was Ray and then I passed out. He shot me with something that made me fall unconscious," Cadoris said by way of explanation.
"A stun ray," Tyr said nodding his head.
"All I know is that I have to enter that tournament and I have to win. I will not let one of my new friends be hurt or anything like that. I will get her back no matter who I have to kill in order to do it," Cadoris said coldly.
"Are you sure we want her back," Tyr asked raising an eyebrow.
"I will do whatever it takes," Cadoris said again as he walked into the Maru to radio Rev. Cadoris needed his weapons if he was going to enter this tournament. Entering the tournament didn't bother him it was being forced to enter it that made him mad. He would win and then he would kill that damn rat faced creature.