Trance Gemini felt very, very at home amongst the trees. She wasn't certain why, it was a very old habit...and in this day and time where she spent a great deal of time in space, blowing out missiles and nurturing poor, doomed Harper, she rarely got to be alone in any natural setting anymore. Seemed the liking would have dimmed, but no, she still had her agility amongst the trees. It might come in handy, she decided, hooking her tail around a sturdy lower branch and testing its stability before swinging up to crouch within the leafy shelter.

Cocking her head, she wrapped lavender arms around the branch and bent over, peering to the roadway below. There, three people, just as her senses had thought. She recognized the first, the emissary, he looked very anxious. The next was a human, an ugly brute, with mean eyes and a meaner gut. And the third...she didn't know. Nietzschean? But why among the inferiors? He wore dark garments, black stained velvet and leather, and he held a sword at his side, one hand constantly threatening with it. Tyr would want to see this. Backing up quietly, Trance prepared to shimmy down another tree, well out of sight. Feet bouncing lightly on the forest floor as she landed, she gasped lightly, toes curling in fear as a hand closed over her shoulder. "Oh, no..."

"You were spying on them?" Turning, Gemini looked at the intruder. The woman smiled, shaking her head and motioning for silence until they were well out on the road, away from the others. "Good, so am I. Those are disagreeable people, and I'd advise you to watch out."

"Are we on the same side?" First question to ask in any situation. Either they told you the truth, or, well, got so mad they tried to kill you right then and there. Nails digging into her palms, Trance watched the other woman hopefully. She looked nice, and sounded nice. Blond, with little streaks of red tangling through the layered haircut. And her clothes...very pretty red velvet, a halter top and nice pants and boots, she looked very well managed. Not that well-managed meant anything these days. Shaking her head again with a small sigh, she waited for an answer.

The other woman considered, fingers moving over the daggers she held at her waist. "That depends. The men you were watching...do you know them?"

"Only the emissary. He met us. Tyr and I. You see, we're here for negotiations, on behalf of the Commonwealth." But then, maybe mentioning even that was a mistake. "You do like the Commonwealth, don't you?"

The woman laughed, eyes crinkling slightly, making her age more evident. Not twenties, maybe forties. A very beautiful forties. "I'll just put it this way...I've seen my portion of empires fall. They rarely rise again. I admire the effort your Hercules is putting forth, but I have my doubts. He always was the idealist..."

"You know Dylan?" Hercules...mentally, the alien recounted her old Earth history lessons. Mythology. The Trials of Herakles. Hmm. Maybe the description DID fit Dylan.

"I knew...Dylan...before he was Dylan. We shared many...loves and interests. He's a good...man."

"Would you like to talk to him?" Lowering her voice as they neared the temporary hut, Trance tapped her tail curiously, watching her companion, mind still running through the cryptic statements. "We brought the Maru, you could...well, borrow her, to take our first logs back to the Andromeda. We won't need it at all, and its really best this way, in case something goes wrong. Beka would kill us if we broke her ship, and Dylan wouldn't want to lose the logs too. You can see him, and come back for us."

"You trust very easily." The woman watched with something akin to perplexed skepticism on her face, eyes narrowed.

"You have a good soul. I see it. Besides, Dylan needs all the friends he can get these days. But, maybe I should have your name. Just in case you go wrong."

"You're a dangerous creature under that innocence..."

"Trance Gemini."

"Gemini." The other nodded, offering her hand, fine silver armlets reflecting the sunlight. "Call me Gabrielle."

"Gabrielle." Smiling, Trance vigorously shook the pale hand, turning to the brawny man striding out the door. "Tyr, look, this is Gabrielle."

"I heard." His eyes moved over the stranger, measuring inch by inch. Gabrielle merely smiled, angling her head. "I also heard your offering of the Maru. As you said, Rebekah is very fond of her little ship. I am also senior representative of this mission. It would have been advisable to request my advice beforehand. Chain of command."

"Or a food chain?" The third party stepped up, tones innocent and querying.

"Hardly. None of us are entirely certain what Trance Gemini is, but it is simple to suppose that she would be unpalatable at the minimum." He met her gaze head on, bowing in mocking deference.

"Oh, you have the ego of a god."

"And you, the markings of a queen, old markings, vaguely reminiscent of those discussed in the Nietszchean old school."

"I assure you, Tyr, I am no genetically mutilated human byproduct. I'm human...at the minimum."

"Perhaps. Nonetheless, you wear the markings of a tribe, a very rare one, rumored dead or scattered to the stars in such chaos as to never be reunited in strength again. They called themselves Amazoni. And they were all women."

"You don't say." Her eyes glittered. "Tell me, Tyr, do you superior Nietszcheans claim every glorified warrior tribe as one of your own? Does it injure you to discover the we...Amazoni...are not connected to your engineered morality at all? That we created our own?"

"Not really." He smiled, baring perfect teeth. "The Amazoni were, after all, destroyed."

"You two..." Trance glanced to and fro between her companions, startled by the emotionally wracked conversation. "Maybe..."

"Do hush." Tyr dismissed her interruption with a handshake. The resounding communications chirping wasn't as easy. Sighing, he opened the mobile communicator. "This is Anasazi."

"Tyr, how lovely to greet your eminence." The other end crackled with sarcasm. "This is Andromeda."

"Rommie..." Trance moved forward, jostling the device from his hands. "You don't know how very nice it is to hear your voice, Rommie."

"I can imagine."

Gabrielle smiled knowingly at her opponent, crossing arms to wait out the rest of the exchange.

"You two, this is Dylan." The warm, familiar, amused voice cut through. "I'm aware that you haven't had time to do any in depth work yet, but I thought we'd check in. If you have any questions..."

"Actually." Gabrielle moved forward to within range of the sensors, shoulders squaring. "I do. I'd like permission to take the Maru and visit you aboard your ship.""

The captain's voice came back, subdued. "And you are?"

"Her name's Gabrielle. She's an Amazoni." Trance cut in helpfully. "And she's on our side."

"Well, then." Gabrielle could very nearly place the tone of voice with the old, familiar head nod. "By all means. Andromeda is yours to visit, old friend."

"Thank you, Hercules." Stepping back, Gabrielle offered a brighter smile to them all.

"Hercules? Compare the good Captain Hunt with demented mythological lore?" Anasazi laughed curtly. "By all means, do. It suits."