When Beka awoke, she knew immediately whose arms encircled her. But the
knowledge didn't feel warm and comforting like it had the day before. An
earlier Tyr might have been kind or even.tender, but after yesterday she
was certain his warmth had been given grudgingly last night.
But it had been given.
Beka closed her eyes tight. She was pretty sure that he was still asleep; the muscles that lined his body did not display the ready tautness that so marked him while awake. For this private moment, she could lie beside him and acknowledge how good it felt to be held by him, dismissing the wide gulf between them. For this private moment, she could admit that while she could fly solo, she'd much rather go in tandem.with him.
Snuggling slightly further into the curve of his body, Beka lay still and enjoyed. The sneering voice that interrupted her reverie was most unwelcome.
"What a touching sight."
Beka opened her eyes, quickly, and all around her the relaxed warmth of Tyr's body became rigid. For a moment, no one said anything further, then the disfigured Nietzschean continued, "A Niet and his kludge, what could be sweeter?"
Beka sighed, closing her eyes, then gently freed herself from Tyr's arms. "OK, that's it." Completely ignoring the weapon trained upon them, she got up as she spoke, moving closer to the massive figure in front of them. "First of all, just what is your name?" Stopping, she put her hands on her hips and regarded him.
Seemingly startled, the Niet blinked a few times, then said, "I am Hallow Severn, out of Mirrella by Hellorian of Urisal Pride." As Tyr got to his feet behind Beka, Hallow swung the blaster to aim it at him.
"Ah," she nodded, stepping between the blaster and Tyr. "Well, Hallow, I am Beka Valentine, commanding officer of the Commonwealth Starship Andromeda Ascendant, and my partner there is Andromeda's weapons officer, Tyr Anasazi out of Victoria by Barbarrosa, Kodiak pride."
"Kodiak pride?" Hallow sounded surprised. "I thought they were all dead?"
"Yeah, well, reports of their complete demise were a bit exaggerated," Beka retorted. "Listen." She continued with emphasis. "Are you stranded on this planet, or are you here by choice?"
For a moment, the Niet was silent, then he admitted, "I've been stranded here for nearly 12 years." Again the blaster moved, and again Beka stepped in front of it.
"OK," Beka sighed. "That sucks. But Hallow, you've got to knock this stuff off. Just stop it with the blasters and threats and things. Listen to me: Your original ideas about how to deal with me and Tyr are way, WAY off for a whole bunch of reasons."
Hallow looked startled, but didn't interrupt other than to move his blaster so that it again pointed at Tyr, now leaning with seeming carelessness against a nearby tree.
"First," Beka continued, again moving to put herself between the blaster and Tyr, "if what you want to do is get off this planet, killing us would be your worst possible choice. Our starship is out there somewhere looking for us, and if I know our crew, they're gonna find us pretty quickly. We've both got nanobots in our systems that let our ship scan for us from off-planet. If you kill us, the bots will die and no one may come here in your lifetime.
"Second," Beka's voice became very bitter, "I am not a worthy breeding partner for any Niet. Just.ask Tyr." She paused for a moment, her mouth twisting. "I'm not just a kludge, I'm a mongrel kludge. My daddy was a thief and my mom. well, never mind about her. And as an added bonus, I'm a drug addict. My DNA's basically worthless, so I'm just not worth the effort." Out of the corner of her eye, Beka caught Tyr's abortive motion, but deliberately ignored it.
"Finally, it's just not practical to forcibly impregnate somebody. A baby's health and well-being depends on his mother's health and well-being. Even if I did get pregnant forcibly, I can promise my choices would be either to terminate the pregnancy or terminate myself. Trust me on this." Beka looked intently at Hallow, willing him to believe her, missing completely Tyr's dark startlement. "I will kill myself rather than carry a baby to term conceived as you've suggested."
For a while, Beka allowed the silence to grow, then she said, "Instead of trying to rape me and kill him, Hallow, why not work with us? Maybe if we work together we can raise the ship we crashed and fix the communications system. I don't know how long we're going to be stuck here, but I'm a fan of anything we can do to cut down on that time."
She paused again, eyeing her adversary. "Doesn't it make more sense to try and cooperate? Please. put the gun down."
For a moment, as she stared into the Nietzschean's misshapen eyes, the question hung in the balance, but then, with a defeated sigh, Hallow dropped his blaster arm, covering his eyes with his other hand. Beka sagged with relief, thankful that her gamble had apparently paid out. And Tyr remained determinedly distant and cool as he waited to see what would happen next.
Karipa drift hung in space, dark and quiet. To the outside eye, the rock was barely occupied. However, traces of the familiar rad signature of the Maru lit up the screen on the Andromeda and elated her remaining crew.
Harper was piloting, so Trance switched on the comlink as Galil and her son looked on. "Karipa Drift, this is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant. Do you read?"
For a moment, space silence crackled between the ship and the drift, then the settlement stirred sleepily to life. "Andromeda Ascendant, this is an odd hour for a social call. What can I do you for?" The male voice was gruff.
"Karipa, I'm searching for a freighter, Eureka Maru. Portmaster over on Wormhole says he sold her to you. I'm here to get her back."
Silence, then, "Gonna cost you."
"Karipa, that ship was not authorized for release. Papers still read owner Beka Valentine, of my crew. We can-" he paused briefly, eyeing Rommie, "We can do this easy, or we can do this hard. You're in possession of stolen property which I'm prepared to return to its rightful owner for a finder's fee. Now, you want to get this done?"
This time the voice sounded abashed. "OK, OK, keep yer shirt on. If the ship was stolen, then there's no more need be said. I'll just take my 50% finder's fee and you can have her."
"50%? Dylan, that's an outrage!" Harper sounded truly indignant.
Dylan laughed a little and fixed Harper with an amused eye as he spoke into the com. "OK, 50% of the finder's fee. It's good of you to be so noble."
"Yeah, 50% of the.wh-what do ya mean, 50% OF the finder's fee?"
"Captain Valentine will be truly in your debt. And just think how much better you'll like getting money instead of a jail term?" Dylan's voice grew stern on his last two words. "I'll prepare the funds transfer now, and I'm sending a pilot over to get her."
"But.but." the sputters on the other end died away. "OK, OK, fine. Whatever. Maru's on port three; land yer shuttle there and be sure to bring the funds."
"You got it Karipa. Hunt out."
Harper grinned admiringly, shaking his head at the same time. "Sometimes, boss, you're so devious you're almost Nietzschean." At his reminder, the whole crew sobered, worrying about their absent crewmates.
Hallow had the fire crackling as he and Beka chatted easily. He had earned Beka's goodwill by bringing out her clothes, which he'd retrieved from where Tyr had dropped them after the panther's attack, and Beka's slim figure was back in the outfit she'd been wearing when they'd first been captured. To himself, Tyr admitted that he missed the flashes of skin revealed by the cloak she'd been wearing earlier.
Even with that clever favor, Beka had, Tyr reflected as he cleaned another small animal that he'd caught, fallen ridiculously quickly into an easy camaraderie with Hallow; she'd forgotten Hallow's threats and was focused on getting to know more about him.
She did have a good point, Tyr conceded: they were much better off pooling resources. Working together instead of trying to kill each other much improved all their chances of survival. And the way she'd handled the confrontation with Hallow had been magnificent. Even he, Tyr, could not imagine refusing Beka when she put her hands on her hips and fixed that particular look on him.
Not that he ever intended to let her know that. While she'd converted Hallow, he'd been dismayed at how accurately her words had echoed his thoughts of before. Her dismissal of her DNA raked at his conscience. Her vow to kill herself had stunned him; suicide was an anathema to Nietzscheans, and yet he believed she'd been completely sincere.
Now, Beka was ignoring him as she dug out more of Hallow's story. Hallow - pretty gruesome name for a Nietzschean, Tyr reflected. He caught bits and pieces of the other man's responses as he moved silently around their camp, setting the animal sizzling over the fire and searching for more fruit for Beka.
Just why had Hallow left the Urisal? Tyr thought, as Hallow spoke easily of his lust for travel and interest in other cultures, that the story sounded awfully suspect for a Nietzschean. On the other hand, looking as he did Hallow probably had had no chance of being chosen by a female in his own pride, so maybe escape had been his only answer.
As Beka began asking more general questions, Tyr focused on the conversation.
"So, where are we, do you know, Hallow? What system and planet is this?"
"It's a small trader system some light years from Eillian. I didn't see too much activity when I flew in, but I was pretty occupied trying not to crash."
"Why was your ship crashing?" Beka's question held only curiosity.
"I'd hit a meteor and lost nav control. I tried radioing the trader planet, but got nothing before I hit the atmosphere of this Eden."
Beka smiled a little at the sarcasm in that. "Have you figured out what's up with the water here? I can't drink it."
"Yeah, there are some odd compounds that, after a while, even began to bug me. I had a primitive lab on my ship, so I was able to synthesize an enzyme to help me tolerate the water more. I gave you some while you were staying with me."
"Oh, that's why I felt so much better."
"Yeah, whatever the chemical is, it's in the produce as well as the water."
"I'm beginning to feel it again. Ick."
Hallow was silent for a moment. "I can go for days without the enzyme now, but if you need some sooner, we should go back to my house."
It was Beka's turn to be silent. Tyr stared at her intently, but she didn't even look his way. "Thanks, Hallow," she smiled, clearly - to Tyr, who knew her well - working to charm the other Niet into further cooperation. Tyr frowned as he continued to listen.
"How'd you build the house?"
"Well, after a while, I came to know the Vulpa." With meaning look, he uttered a sharp bark and summoned more than a dozen furry figures out of the nearby greenery. Beka's widened eyes spoke to her surprise, and Tyr's hand fell to his blaster.
A hand signal sent the creatures back into the brush, and Tyr looked sardonically at Beka, rolling his eyes at the drama. He needn't have bothered; she was still looking, fascinated, at Hallow. At this point Tyr was afraid her fascination was genuine; even he was impressed by the speed with which the wolf-like creatures had appeared and disappeared.
Hallow cleared his throat modestly, and continued. "After I learned their language, they made me leader of their pack. They've been most helpful in my endeavors."
"Ah," Beka said, non-committal. She flicked a glance at Tyr as he checked the meat again, and turned back to Hallow. "What's this planet like?"
Tyr sterilized his knife again, and cut a piece from the meat to test it. It was done; like the night before, he cut a larger piece for Beka, and, using a leaf as a plate, handed it to her with a tiny flourish. Beka barely looked up - "Thanks, Tyr" - but Hallow leapt to his feet.
"Beka, no! Don't eat that!"
"What's the problem, Severn?" Tyr said sharply.
"The problem, Anasazi, is that that leaf is toxic to me. For Beka it might be fatal. Once the meat has touched it, she shouldn't eat it!"
Tyr was tempted to roll his eyes again, but his genuine concern for Beka made him take the leaf quickly from her fingers. He flung it into the underbrush, where a flurry of crashes signified the Vulpa's interest in the discarded flesh. Turning back to the sizzling carcass, he hacked off another piece and handed it to her directly.
"Thanks, Tyr," she repeated. "And thanks, Hallow. No poison for me today, thanks!"
Tyr's jaw set, but he ripped the rest of the animal in half and offered a piece to the other Niet. "Thank you, Anasazi," came the ironic reply, and then all three concentrated briefly on their meal.
* * *
"Whoo-hoo!" shouted Harper as he landed the Maru in her accustomed docking bay. "OK, Dylan, let her rip!" With a shudder, the Andromeda entered Slipstream, heading as close as possible to where they'd left Beka and Tyr.
As Harper made his way up to the Com deck, he ran into Galil and her son near the lounge. "Hiya, pretty lady!"
Harper admired the way her eyes crinkled as she returned his greeting. "Hi, Harper."
"And. err. hello young man," Harper's voice had a touch of anxiety as he addressed Ian; he never knew quite what to say to the boy. "Hello, Mr. Harper," Ian piped back.
Crap, thought Harper, he sounds better than I do!
"Err - having fun?"
"Yeah, mom's taking me on a scavenger hunt! Wanna come?"
"Um, well.." Harper stared at Galil pleadingly. He didn't want to say something wrong to the boy and make her mad at him. "I'm sorry, kid, but I gotta go to Command. We're trying to rescue our crewmates. Maybe.uhh.. another time?"
Galil looked approving, Harper was relieved to note.
"OK, bye Mr. Harper!"
"Bye, kid. See you later, Galil"
Harper whistled a little as he rushed the rest of the way to the Com deck. Having the Maru back on the Andromeda somehow made the prospect of getting Beka back more real. Harper stopped whistling for a second as he considered that. Somehow getting each piece assembled, every bit of their crew back, was, like, a luck token or something. Shaking his head at his inability to articulate that thought further even to himself, Harper entered Command.
"Nice work, Mr. Harper," Dylan said, brow furrowed as he piloted the ship through Slipstream. If for no other reason, they needed to get Tyr and Beka back because they represented half the crew's Slipstream piloting capabilities.
Harper nodded. "How long before we get to Eillian?"
"Not too much longer, now." Dylan sounded reassuring, but Trance's continued concern made part of Harper's gut clench tighter as the ship sped through the 'Stream.
Beka's eyes widened as she took in the expanse of naked male backside that met her eyes. Hallow might be disfigured facially, but man, was he well- built otherwise. Down, girl, she mentally scolded herself from the greenery near the shore. Without conscious volition, her gaze crept sideways, to where Tyr was disrobing. Hallow provoked sheer amazement at his proportions, but the slight of Tyr's body made hers clench with a gut- level pulse of pure need.
Divine, he was gorgeous.
And then he took off his pants, and Beka's system went so far into overdrive that she staggered where she stood.
Oh, my God, she'd wondered for years how he'd look naked. Beka was breathing so hard she was nearly panting. That incredible back, those long, sturdy legs, beautifully curved buttocks. Beka's mouth dried as she drank in the expanse of dark skin in front of her.
Then, Tyr threw a glance over his shoulder at the greenery sheltering her, his eyes alive with mockery, and went into the lake. A flash of pale skin in her peripheral vision indicated that Hallow had joined him.
For a moment, Beka stood stock still, breathing hard. Then she shook her head - Snap out of it, Valentine - and cupped her hand around her mouth.
"Should I come out now?"
"As you see," Tyr's voice was mocking, but she passed on the bait. She didn't think she could even pull off false protestations of innocence at this point. Yes, she'd agreed to wait while they undressed by the shore, and yes, she'd violated the unspoken part of that arrangement by watching.
But what woman would blame her?
Being that handsome ought to be illegal, she reflected as she made her way to the shore. Tyr and Hallow were both several yards offshore, mostly covered by the copper colored water. Each had the end of a strong, woven vine in his hand, the coils of which she was to monitor from shore.
Tyr and Hallow had cooked up the plan to try to dive down to the Ogami transport and attach ropes to her. Then, Hallow would enlist the Vulpa to help pull her ashore. Maybe, if they could get the ship out of the water, they could fix enough of her to help their situation, either with communications or possibly even a spaceworthy ship.
At least they're working together on this, Beka reflected as she gave a quick wave to indicate that she was ready to watch the vines. Hallow turned away, swimming quickly toward the ship, but Tyr remained for a moment, his eyes carefully searching the greenery around Beka for threats. For a flash, his intent gaze met hers, and then he turned to follow the other Niet.
Warmth bloomed at his continued care of her, his vigilance. Beka knew Tyr wasn't entirely comfortable with this approach to bringing up the spaceship, mostly because he hated to leave her side. And I'm not sure the two Vulpa that Hallow has set to watch me makes either one of us less nervous, Beka conceded as she caught a glimpse of gray fur in the corner of her eye.
When they'd returned to Hallow's house the day before, Tyr had been noticeably on his guard. "Don't forget," he'd cautioned Beka quietly as they drew near the stone structure, "he's a Nietzschean. Don't trust him, Beka."
Hallow had joined them immediately, so Beka had not even had a chance to reply before they were entering his surprisingly comfortable abode.
Hallow had acted like a proud homeowner as he showed off his house - kitchen, sitting room, three bedrooms, room for bathing, etc. He'd obviously plundered extensively from his starship to create the most comfortable areas, and the amenities delighted Beka. Gods, how she hated planets!
Dusk was already falling as Hallow finished his tour. "Beka, you can have this room again - ."
"Minus the bindings, I trust," Beka had felt comfortable enough to interject.
"Of course." Hallow's voice had changed from warm to stilted, and Beka kicked herself for reminding him of their previous status.
"Tyr," his voice continued coolly as he indicated the other bedroom, "you can bunk in here."
"I will sleep with Captain Valentine." Those dark tones had been implacable, and Beka turned and met his gaze fully for the first time since she'd given him her lecture the day before. For a moment, their gazes locked, Tyr's insistent and Beka's stubborn. But, she had to concede that he had a point, they'd probably be safer sharing a room.
"On the floor," she responded in just as cool a tone.
"Fine."
Hallow had sighed a little, looking from one to the other, and then conceded the point. "Well, Anasazi, if you need bedding you can grab it off this bed."
Tyr had simply nodded, drilling Beka with a dark gaze pregnant with secrets. She had no idea what he was thinking, and just now, she didn't really care. Wrenching her gaze away, Beka turned back to Hallow. "This is a great place, Hallow."
"Well," he'd agreed, "if you're going to be stuck someplace for twelve years, it's better to be comfortable." Hallow was silent for a while, considering. "Wonder how my investments have done in all this time?"
Beka smiled warmly at him, thinking, for the first time, about what he must be feeling. Hallow had been cut off from the rest of space for so long. He must be a little nervous as well as eager to get back.
As they made their way into his sitting room, Beka asked, "Are you excited to see your family again?"
Hallow's gaze turned dark immediately, so abruptly menacing that Beka froze in her tracks. She felt Tyr, ever watchful, poised just at her back as they waited for Hallow to respond.
After a pause, Hallow said, "Not exactly," in a tone that welcomed no further questions on the topic.
Beka swallowed. OK, time to change the subject. "Umm, do you have foodstock for dinner, Hallow? And more of that enzyme so I can actually eat it? We've walked a long way today and I'm getting kind of hungry."
"Follow me," Hallow still sounded angry, and Tyr had stuck to her back like glue as Beka followed the large man. Hallow had given her an injection - with Tyr watching closely - and then the Vulpa had brought dinner, more of the same fare they'd been eating since they had arrived on the planet.
Full dark had fallen as they'd finished dinner, and Tyr, even though Hallow had changed back to pleasant and non-threatening, had remained perceptibly - at least to Beka - on his guard. Beka was contentedly full and tired, and she soon let out a yawn in the silent sitting room that made Hallow's disfigured features twist into a smile.
"Sounds like you need to get some sleep, Beka."
"Um, yeah, I am tired." Beka yawned again, self-consciously, then excused herself. "I'm hitting the privy and then heading to bed. Goodnight." She directed her words impartially, looking at a space between the two men, and then exited.
For a long time the room was silent. Then, Tyr spoke in guarded tones. "We should try to get that ship up tomorrow."
Hallow nodded, staring into the fire he'd lit earlier.
"If we can swim down to her, perhaps we can attach lines and haul her up to the shore."
Hallow roused himself enough to say, "Yeah, the Vulpa can help us pull her out, but they don't swim very well."
"Severn?" Tyr's voice had changed. "Thanks for the help, but... If you hurt her, I will kill you." The flat monotone, a promise.
Hallow had turned to meet Tyr's fierce eyes. For a moment, he stared at the other Niet, then his mouth twisted. "Since you're taking such good care of her," his voice was particularly sarcastic, "I'll be sure and watch my step." For a moment, each man was openly hostile, glaring at the other. Then Tyr had turned and walked from the room.
From the barely-ajar door of the privy that she'd been peeking through, Beka had sighed. Though rationally she knew Tyr was right, that trusting Hallow was dangerous, it would certain have been easier to just relax.
Her lips quirked as she walked back to her room. Relaxing, she conceded, was not something Tyr ever did well. As she came through the door, Tyr was shaking out a blanket that he'd purloined from the other spare room, getting ready to bed down in front of the fire.
Without speaking, Beka had climbed into the bed. The night had been alive with tension as both lay silently in the small room.
A jerk on one of the ropes at her feet brought Beka out of her reverie. She squinted at the water, trying to make out some hint of either man. Nietzscheans could hold their breath for several minutes, so she wasn't overly concerned that she could see neither.
The coils of vines slowly unwound as the men swam out further. Gods, she hoped this would work. This had been such a confusing, stressful time! Before this crash, she and Tyr had achieved what she'd at least thought was a true friendship. Respect, warmth, camaraderie, and affection.. She'd felt all of those.
Now, she was torn between a stronger physical attraction than she'd ever had, and resentment and hurt at his see-sawing attitudes. She just wanted to get back on the Andromeda and have everything get back to normal, as it had so many times before. Maybe then her raw feelings would subside back into something more controllable.
With a sigh, Beka focused her gaze on the lake, hoping to see Tyr and Hallow surface soon.
* * *
Dylan sagged a little in relief as he brought Andromeda out of Slipstream again. He felt a little worn as Andromeda's musical voice confirmed they'd finally made it back to Eillian. Turning, he met Harper's expectant gaze.
"What now, boss?"
Dylan was ready with an answer. "Harper, I want you and Trance to stay here with Galil." He raised his hand to still Harper's protest. "I know you want to go, too, but if we run into problems, you're the only ones who have a shot at figuring out how to get the Andromeda back to that system. You need to stay here and work on that while Rommie and I try to retrieve Beka and Tyr."
"But what if the Maru can't get through?"
"There's nothing you could do from on board the Maru to figure things out that you can't do better here. I can pilot the Maru, and if I have trouble, I'll just come back here."
Harper eyed Dylan mutinously for a moment, then his face collapsed into acquiescence. Even though his whole being strummed with an urgency to go rescue Beka, he had never seen anything like the strange Slipstream effects that had prevented Andromeda from reaching the system, and he did need to know more.
The lives of Tyr, Beka, and now Dylan too might depend upon it.
Dylan sipped a protein shake for energy as he readied the Maru for launch. Harper had gone over the sturdy old ship when he'd gotten her back and reported no alterations or problems. As Rommie took her place at the sensor station behind him, Dylan said, "Maru cleared for takeoff?"
"Let 'er rip, Dylan, and . bring them back soon." Harper's voice was unwontedly earnest.
"We'll do our best."
Dylan nimbly piloted the Maru out of the Andromeda far enough to open a slip portal, then jumped into the Slipstream once again, heading for the trader system that would hopefully this time be free of Ogami. He prayed, as he left, that he could get the Maru through.
But it had been given.
Beka closed her eyes tight. She was pretty sure that he was still asleep; the muscles that lined his body did not display the ready tautness that so marked him while awake. For this private moment, she could lie beside him and acknowledge how good it felt to be held by him, dismissing the wide gulf between them. For this private moment, she could admit that while she could fly solo, she'd much rather go in tandem.with him.
Snuggling slightly further into the curve of his body, Beka lay still and enjoyed. The sneering voice that interrupted her reverie was most unwelcome.
"What a touching sight."
Beka opened her eyes, quickly, and all around her the relaxed warmth of Tyr's body became rigid. For a moment, no one said anything further, then the disfigured Nietzschean continued, "A Niet and his kludge, what could be sweeter?"
Beka sighed, closing her eyes, then gently freed herself from Tyr's arms. "OK, that's it." Completely ignoring the weapon trained upon them, she got up as she spoke, moving closer to the massive figure in front of them. "First of all, just what is your name?" Stopping, she put her hands on her hips and regarded him.
Seemingly startled, the Niet blinked a few times, then said, "I am Hallow Severn, out of Mirrella by Hellorian of Urisal Pride." As Tyr got to his feet behind Beka, Hallow swung the blaster to aim it at him.
"Ah," she nodded, stepping between the blaster and Tyr. "Well, Hallow, I am Beka Valentine, commanding officer of the Commonwealth Starship Andromeda Ascendant, and my partner there is Andromeda's weapons officer, Tyr Anasazi out of Victoria by Barbarrosa, Kodiak pride."
"Kodiak pride?" Hallow sounded surprised. "I thought they were all dead?"
"Yeah, well, reports of their complete demise were a bit exaggerated," Beka retorted. "Listen." She continued with emphasis. "Are you stranded on this planet, or are you here by choice?"
For a moment, the Niet was silent, then he admitted, "I've been stranded here for nearly 12 years." Again the blaster moved, and again Beka stepped in front of it.
"OK," Beka sighed. "That sucks. But Hallow, you've got to knock this stuff off. Just stop it with the blasters and threats and things. Listen to me: Your original ideas about how to deal with me and Tyr are way, WAY off for a whole bunch of reasons."
Hallow looked startled, but didn't interrupt other than to move his blaster so that it again pointed at Tyr, now leaning with seeming carelessness against a nearby tree.
"First," Beka continued, again moving to put herself between the blaster and Tyr, "if what you want to do is get off this planet, killing us would be your worst possible choice. Our starship is out there somewhere looking for us, and if I know our crew, they're gonna find us pretty quickly. We've both got nanobots in our systems that let our ship scan for us from off-planet. If you kill us, the bots will die and no one may come here in your lifetime.
"Second," Beka's voice became very bitter, "I am not a worthy breeding partner for any Niet. Just.ask Tyr." She paused for a moment, her mouth twisting. "I'm not just a kludge, I'm a mongrel kludge. My daddy was a thief and my mom. well, never mind about her. And as an added bonus, I'm a drug addict. My DNA's basically worthless, so I'm just not worth the effort." Out of the corner of her eye, Beka caught Tyr's abortive motion, but deliberately ignored it.
"Finally, it's just not practical to forcibly impregnate somebody. A baby's health and well-being depends on his mother's health and well-being. Even if I did get pregnant forcibly, I can promise my choices would be either to terminate the pregnancy or terminate myself. Trust me on this." Beka looked intently at Hallow, willing him to believe her, missing completely Tyr's dark startlement. "I will kill myself rather than carry a baby to term conceived as you've suggested."
For a while, Beka allowed the silence to grow, then she said, "Instead of trying to rape me and kill him, Hallow, why not work with us? Maybe if we work together we can raise the ship we crashed and fix the communications system. I don't know how long we're going to be stuck here, but I'm a fan of anything we can do to cut down on that time."
She paused again, eyeing her adversary. "Doesn't it make more sense to try and cooperate? Please. put the gun down."
For a moment, as she stared into the Nietzschean's misshapen eyes, the question hung in the balance, but then, with a defeated sigh, Hallow dropped his blaster arm, covering his eyes with his other hand. Beka sagged with relief, thankful that her gamble had apparently paid out. And Tyr remained determinedly distant and cool as he waited to see what would happen next.
Karipa drift hung in space, dark and quiet. To the outside eye, the rock was barely occupied. However, traces of the familiar rad signature of the Maru lit up the screen on the Andromeda and elated her remaining crew.
Harper was piloting, so Trance switched on the comlink as Galil and her son looked on. "Karipa Drift, this is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant. Do you read?"
For a moment, space silence crackled between the ship and the drift, then the settlement stirred sleepily to life. "Andromeda Ascendant, this is an odd hour for a social call. What can I do you for?" The male voice was gruff.
"Karipa, I'm searching for a freighter, Eureka Maru. Portmaster over on Wormhole says he sold her to you. I'm here to get her back."
Silence, then, "Gonna cost you."
"Karipa, that ship was not authorized for release. Papers still read owner Beka Valentine, of my crew. We can-" he paused briefly, eyeing Rommie, "We can do this easy, or we can do this hard. You're in possession of stolen property which I'm prepared to return to its rightful owner for a finder's fee. Now, you want to get this done?"
This time the voice sounded abashed. "OK, OK, keep yer shirt on. If the ship was stolen, then there's no more need be said. I'll just take my 50% finder's fee and you can have her."
"50%? Dylan, that's an outrage!" Harper sounded truly indignant.
Dylan laughed a little and fixed Harper with an amused eye as he spoke into the com. "OK, 50% of the finder's fee. It's good of you to be so noble."
"Yeah, 50% of the.wh-what do ya mean, 50% OF the finder's fee?"
"Captain Valentine will be truly in your debt. And just think how much better you'll like getting money instead of a jail term?" Dylan's voice grew stern on his last two words. "I'll prepare the funds transfer now, and I'm sending a pilot over to get her."
"But.but." the sputters on the other end died away. "OK, OK, fine. Whatever. Maru's on port three; land yer shuttle there and be sure to bring the funds."
"You got it Karipa. Hunt out."
Harper grinned admiringly, shaking his head at the same time. "Sometimes, boss, you're so devious you're almost Nietzschean." At his reminder, the whole crew sobered, worrying about their absent crewmates.
Hallow had the fire crackling as he and Beka chatted easily. He had earned Beka's goodwill by bringing out her clothes, which he'd retrieved from where Tyr had dropped them after the panther's attack, and Beka's slim figure was back in the outfit she'd been wearing when they'd first been captured. To himself, Tyr admitted that he missed the flashes of skin revealed by the cloak she'd been wearing earlier.
Even with that clever favor, Beka had, Tyr reflected as he cleaned another small animal that he'd caught, fallen ridiculously quickly into an easy camaraderie with Hallow; she'd forgotten Hallow's threats and was focused on getting to know more about him.
She did have a good point, Tyr conceded: they were much better off pooling resources. Working together instead of trying to kill each other much improved all their chances of survival. And the way she'd handled the confrontation with Hallow had been magnificent. Even he, Tyr, could not imagine refusing Beka when she put her hands on her hips and fixed that particular look on him.
Not that he ever intended to let her know that. While she'd converted Hallow, he'd been dismayed at how accurately her words had echoed his thoughts of before. Her dismissal of her DNA raked at his conscience. Her vow to kill herself had stunned him; suicide was an anathema to Nietzscheans, and yet he believed she'd been completely sincere.
Now, Beka was ignoring him as she dug out more of Hallow's story. Hallow - pretty gruesome name for a Nietzschean, Tyr reflected. He caught bits and pieces of the other man's responses as he moved silently around their camp, setting the animal sizzling over the fire and searching for more fruit for Beka.
Just why had Hallow left the Urisal? Tyr thought, as Hallow spoke easily of his lust for travel and interest in other cultures, that the story sounded awfully suspect for a Nietzschean. On the other hand, looking as he did Hallow probably had had no chance of being chosen by a female in his own pride, so maybe escape had been his only answer.
As Beka began asking more general questions, Tyr focused on the conversation.
"So, where are we, do you know, Hallow? What system and planet is this?"
"It's a small trader system some light years from Eillian. I didn't see too much activity when I flew in, but I was pretty occupied trying not to crash."
"Why was your ship crashing?" Beka's question held only curiosity.
"I'd hit a meteor and lost nav control. I tried radioing the trader planet, but got nothing before I hit the atmosphere of this Eden."
Beka smiled a little at the sarcasm in that. "Have you figured out what's up with the water here? I can't drink it."
"Yeah, there are some odd compounds that, after a while, even began to bug me. I had a primitive lab on my ship, so I was able to synthesize an enzyme to help me tolerate the water more. I gave you some while you were staying with me."
"Oh, that's why I felt so much better."
"Yeah, whatever the chemical is, it's in the produce as well as the water."
"I'm beginning to feel it again. Ick."
Hallow was silent for a moment. "I can go for days without the enzyme now, but if you need some sooner, we should go back to my house."
It was Beka's turn to be silent. Tyr stared at her intently, but she didn't even look his way. "Thanks, Hallow," she smiled, clearly - to Tyr, who knew her well - working to charm the other Niet into further cooperation. Tyr frowned as he continued to listen.
"How'd you build the house?"
"Well, after a while, I came to know the Vulpa." With meaning look, he uttered a sharp bark and summoned more than a dozen furry figures out of the nearby greenery. Beka's widened eyes spoke to her surprise, and Tyr's hand fell to his blaster.
A hand signal sent the creatures back into the brush, and Tyr looked sardonically at Beka, rolling his eyes at the drama. He needn't have bothered; she was still looking, fascinated, at Hallow. At this point Tyr was afraid her fascination was genuine; even he was impressed by the speed with which the wolf-like creatures had appeared and disappeared.
Hallow cleared his throat modestly, and continued. "After I learned their language, they made me leader of their pack. They've been most helpful in my endeavors."
"Ah," Beka said, non-committal. She flicked a glance at Tyr as he checked the meat again, and turned back to Hallow. "What's this planet like?"
Tyr sterilized his knife again, and cut a piece from the meat to test it. It was done; like the night before, he cut a larger piece for Beka, and, using a leaf as a plate, handed it to her with a tiny flourish. Beka barely looked up - "Thanks, Tyr" - but Hallow leapt to his feet.
"Beka, no! Don't eat that!"
"What's the problem, Severn?" Tyr said sharply.
"The problem, Anasazi, is that that leaf is toxic to me. For Beka it might be fatal. Once the meat has touched it, she shouldn't eat it!"
Tyr was tempted to roll his eyes again, but his genuine concern for Beka made him take the leaf quickly from her fingers. He flung it into the underbrush, where a flurry of crashes signified the Vulpa's interest in the discarded flesh. Turning back to the sizzling carcass, he hacked off another piece and handed it to her directly.
"Thanks, Tyr," she repeated. "And thanks, Hallow. No poison for me today, thanks!"
Tyr's jaw set, but he ripped the rest of the animal in half and offered a piece to the other Niet. "Thank you, Anasazi," came the ironic reply, and then all three concentrated briefly on their meal.
* * *
"Whoo-hoo!" shouted Harper as he landed the Maru in her accustomed docking bay. "OK, Dylan, let her rip!" With a shudder, the Andromeda entered Slipstream, heading as close as possible to where they'd left Beka and Tyr.
As Harper made his way up to the Com deck, he ran into Galil and her son near the lounge. "Hiya, pretty lady!"
Harper admired the way her eyes crinkled as she returned his greeting. "Hi, Harper."
"And. err. hello young man," Harper's voice had a touch of anxiety as he addressed Ian; he never knew quite what to say to the boy. "Hello, Mr. Harper," Ian piped back.
Crap, thought Harper, he sounds better than I do!
"Err - having fun?"
"Yeah, mom's taking me on a scavenger hunt! Wanna come?"
"Um, well.." Harper stared at Galil pleadingly. He didn't want to say something wrong to the boy and make her mad at him. "I'm sorry, kid, but I gotta go to Command. We're trying to rescue our crewmates. Maybe.uhh.. another time?"
Galil looked approving, Harper was relieved to note.
"OK, bye Mr. Harper!"
"Bye, kid. See you later, Galil"
Harper whistled a little as he rushed the rest of the way to the Com deck. Having the Maru back on the Andromeda somehow made the prospect of getting Beka back more real. Harper stopped whistling for a second as he considered that. Somehow getting each piece assembled, every bit of their crew back, was, like, a luck token or something. Shaking his head at his inability to articulate that thought further even to himself, Harper entered Command.
"Nice work, Mr. Harper," Dylan said, brow furrowed as he piloted the ship through Slipstream. If for no other reason, they needed to get Tyr and Beka back because they represented half the crew's Slipstream piloting capabilities.
Harper nodded. "How long before we get to Eillian?"
"Not too much longer, now." Dylan sounded reassuring, but Trance's continued concern made part of Harper's gut clench tighter as the ship sped through the 'Stream.
Beka's eyes widened as she took in the expanse of naked male backside that met her eyes. Hallow might be disfigured facially, but man, was he well- built otherwise. Down, girl, she mentally scolded herself from the greenery near the shore. Without conscious volition, her gaze crept sideways, to where Tyr was disrobing. Hallow provoked sheer amazement at his proportions, but the slight of Tyr's body made hers clench with a gut- level pulse of pure need.
Divine, he was gorgeous.
And then he took off his pants, and Beka's system went so far into overdrive that she staggered where she stood.
Oh, my God, she'd wondered for years how he'd look naked. Beka was breathing so hard she was nearly panting. That incredible back, those long, sturdy legs, beautifully curved buttocks. Beka's mouth dried as she drank in the expanse of dark skin in front of her.
Then, Tyr threw a glance over his shoulder at the greenery sheltering her, his eyes alive with mockery, and went into the lake. A flash of pale skin in her peripheral vision indicated that Hallow had joined him.
For a moment, Beka stood stock still, breathing hard. Then she shook her head - Snap out of it, Valentine - and cupped her hand around her mouth.
"Should I come out now?"
"As you see," Tyr's voice was mocking, but she passed on the bait. She didn't think she could even pull off false protestations of innocence at this point. Yes, she'd agreed to wait while they undressed by the shore, and yes, she'd violated the unspoken part of that arrangement by watching.
But what woman would blame her?
Being that handsome ought to be illegal, she reflected as she made her way to the shore. Tyr and Hallow were both several yards offshore, mostly covered by the copper colored water. Each had the end of a strong, woven vine in his hand, the coils of which she was to monitor from shore.
Tyr and Hallow had cooked up the plan to try to dive down to the Ogami transport and attach ropes to her. Then, Hallow would enlist the Vulpa to help pull her ashore. Maybe, if they could get the ship out of the water, they could fix enough of her to help their situation, either with communications or possibly even a spaceworthy ship.
At least they're working together on this, Beka reflected as she gave a quick wave to indicate that she was ready to watch the vines. Hallow turned away, swimming quickly toward the ship, but Tyr remained for a moment, his eyes carefully searching the greenery around Beka for threats. For a flash, his intent gaze met hers, and then he turned to follow the other Niet.
Warmth bloomed at his continued care of her, his vigilance. Beka knew Tyr wasn't entirely comfortable with this approach to bringing up the spaceship, mostly because he hated to leave her side. And I'm not sure the two Vulpa that Hallow has set to watch me makes either one of us less nervous, Beka conceded as she caught a glimpse of gray fur in the corner of her eye.
When they'd returned to Hallow's house the day before, Tyr had been noticeably on his guard. "Don't forget," he'd cautioned Beka quietly as they drew near the stone structure, "he's a Nietzschean. Don't trust him, Beka."
Hallow had joined them immediately, so Beka had not even had a chance to reply before they were entering his surprisingly comfortable abode.
Hallow had acted like a proud homeowner as he showed off his house - kitchen, sitting room, three bedrooms, room for bathing, etc. He'd obviously plundered extensively from his starship to create the most comfortable areas, and the amenities delighted Beka. Gods, how she hated planets!
Dusk was already falling as Hallow finished his tour. "Beka, you can have this room again - ."
"Minus the bindings, I trust," Beka had felt comfortable enough to interject.
"Of course." Hallow's voice had changed from warm to stilted, and Beka kicked herself for reminding him of their previous status.
"Tyr," his voice continued coolly as he indicated the other bedroom, "you can bunk in here."
"I will sleep with Captain Valentine." Those dark tones had been implacable, and Beka turned and met his gaze fully for the first time since she'd given him her lecture the day before. For a moment, their gazes locked, Tyr's insistent and Beka's stubborn. But, she had to concede that he had a point, they'd probably be safer sharing a room.
"On the floor," she responded in just as cool a tone.
"Fine."
Hallow had sighed a little, looking from one to the other, and then conceded the point. "Well, Anasazi, if you need bedding you can grab it off this bed."
Tyr had simply nodded, drilling Beka with a dark gaze pregnant with secrets. She had no idea what he was thinking, and just now, she didn't really care. Wrenching her gaze away, Beka turned back to Hallow. "This is a great place, Hallow."
"Well," he'd agreed, "if you're going to be stuck someplace for twelve years, it's better to be comfortable." Hallow was silent for a while, considering. "Wonder how my investments have done in all this time?"
Beka smiled warmly at him, thinking, for the first time, about what he must be feeling. Hallow had been cut off from the rest of space for so long. He must be a little nervous as well as eager to get back.
As they made their way into his sitting room, Beka asked, "Are you excited to see your family again?"
Hallow's gaze turned dark immediately, so abruptly menacing that Beka froze in her tracks. She felt Tyr, ever watchful, poised just at her back as they waited for Hallow to respond.
After a pause, Hallow said, "Not exactly," in a tone that welcomed no further questions on the topic.
Beka swallowed. OK, time to change the subject. "Umm, do you have foodstock for dinner, Hallow? And more of that enzyme so I can actually eat it? We've walked a long way today and I'm getting kind of hungry."
"Follow me," Hallow still sounded angry, and Tyr had stuck to her back like glue as Beka followed the large man. Hallow had given her an injection - with Tyr watching closely - and then the Vulpa had brought dinner, more of the same fare they'd been eating since they had arrived on the planet.
Full dark had fallen as they'd finished dinner, and Tyr, even though Hallow had changed back to pleasant and non-threatening, had remained perceptibly - at least to Beka - on his guard. Beka was contentedly full and tired, and she soon let out a yawn in the silent sitting room that made Hallow's disfigured features twist into a smile.
"Sounds like you need to get some sleep, Beka."
"Um, yeah, I am tired." Beka yawned again, self-consciously, then excused herself. "I'm hitting the privy and then heading to bed. Goodnight." She directed her words impartially, looking at a space between the two men, and then exited.
For a long time the room was silent. Then, Tyr spoke in guarded tones. "We should try to get that ship up tomorrow."
Hallow nodded, staring into the fire he'd lit earlier.
"If we can swim down to her, perhaps we can attach lines and haul her up to the shore."
Hallow roused himself enough to say, "Yeah, the Vulpa can help us pull her out, but they don't swim very well."
"Severn?" Tyr's voice had changed. "Thanks for the help, but... If you hurt her, I will kill you." The flat monotone, a promise.
Hallow had turned to meet Tyr's fierce eyes. For a moment, he stared at the other Niet, then his mouth twisted. "Since you're taking such good care of her," his voice was particularly sarcastic, "I'll be sure and watch my step." For a moment, each man was openly hostile, glaring at the other. Then Tyr had turned and walked from the room.
From the barely-ajar door of the privy that she'd been peeking through, Beka had sighed. Though rationally she knew Tyr was right, that trusting Hallow was dangerous, it would certain have been easier to just relax.
Her lips quirked as she walked back to her room. Relaxing, she conceded, was not something Tyr ever did well. As she came through the door, Tyr was shaking out a blanket that he'd purloined from the other spare room, getting ready to bed down in front of the fire.
Without speaking, Beka had climbed into the bed. The night had been alive with tension as both lay silently in the small room.
A jerk on one of the ropes at her feet brought Beka out of her reverie. She squinted at the water, trying to make out some hint of either man. Nietzscheans could hold their breath for several minutes, so she wasn't overly concerned that she could see neither.
The coils of vines slowly unwound as the men swam out further. Gods, she hoped this would work. This had been such a confusing, stressful time! Before this crash, she and Tyr had achieved what she'd at least thought was a true friendship. Respect, warmth, camaraderie, and affection.. She'd felt all of those.
Now, she was torn between a stronger physical attraction than she'd ever had, and resentment and hurt at his see-sawing attitudes. She just wanted to get back on the Andromeda and have everything get back to normal, as it had so many times before. Maybe then her raw feelings would subside back into something more controllable.
With a sigh, Beka focused her gaze on the lake, hoping to see Tyr and Hallow surface soon.
* * *
Dylan sagged a little in relief as he brought Andromeda out of Slipstream again. He felt a little worn as Andromeda's musical voice confirmed they'd finally made it back to Eillian. Turning, he met Harper's expectant gaze.
"What now, boss?"
Dylan was ready with an answer. "Harper, I want you and Trance to stay here with Galil." He raised his hand to still Harper's protest. "I know you want to go, too, but if we run into problems, you're the only ones who have a shot at figuring out how to get the Andromeda back to that system. You need to stay here and work on that while Rommie and I try to retrieve Beka and Tyr."
"But what if the Maru can't get through?"
"There's nothing you could do from on board the Maru to figure things out that you can't do better here. I can pilot the Maru, and if I have trouble, I'll just come back here."
Harper eyed Dylan mutinously for a moment, then his face collapsed into acquiescence. Even though his whole being strummed with an urgency to go rescue Beka, he had never seen anything like the strange Slipstream effects that had prevented Andromeda from reaching the system, and he did need to know more.
The lives of Tyr, Beka, and now Dylan too might depend upon it.
Dylan sipped a protein shake for energy as he readied the Maru for launch. Harper had gone over the sturdy old ship when he'd gotten her back and reported no alterations or problems. As Rommie took her place at the sensor station behind him, Dylan said, "Maru cleared for takeoff?"
"Let 'er rip, Dylan, and . bring them back soon." Harper's voice was unwontedly earnest.
"We'll do our best."
Dylan nimbly piloted the Maru out of the Andromeda far enough to open a slip portal, then jumped into the Slipstream once again, heading for the trader system that would hopefully this time be free of Ogami. He prayed, as he left, that he could get the Maru through.