Intolerance, Part 7: Smoke and Mirrors

Dylan turned round and was blinded by the flash of a camera going off. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to clear, and looked again: Stood against the bulkhead, a grinning Harper and Trance at her side, was Rommie, "Hi lover. Miss me?"

Dylan gasped, "But you? How the? What the?" Harper laughed, handing his camera to Trance, "Just call me Seamus Z Harper, Magician Extraordinaire. You really think we'd let Rommie go down there to get killed?" Beka was also in shock, "How did you do it?" Harper smiled, "Well, I'd hate to give up all my secrets, but it went like this: Rommie was ready to give herself up to save Dylan, when I had a brainwave; that crazy Stark woman wanted an Android, so we'd give her one. Or to be more precise, we'd give her an Mk.3 service android fitted with a few of Rommie's spare parts. Trance grabbed a robe from medical to hide its body and legs."

Andromeda's holographic form appeared, "And I operated it by remote control. It was Tyr's idea to use a Lancer drop-pod. It hid the fact that the Mk.3 lack's the dexterity to handle a ship on it's own." Trance smiled, "They saw what they wanted to see. It's not out fault that they got it wrong." Beka looked at the four of them, "You really are a devious lot. I can't believe you pulled it off: you even fooled me and Dylan."

Dylan was still in shock, so Rommie walked up to him and planted a kiss on his lips, "You really think I'd let you go that easily?" Dylan seemed to come to, "Don't ever do anything like that again: I've never been so scared in my life." Rommie smiled as she put her arms around him, "Well at least I now know how you truly feel about me."

Trance turned to the others; "I think we should give them some time alone. And I can use your help with something I have planned." With that, she led the confused Beka and Harper off, leaving Dylan and Rommie alone.

Tyr took the ship out of range of New Salem's Planetary Defence Grid before handing over the controls to Beka, "I suggest you get us out of here as fast as you can." Beka nodded, and took the Andromeda into slipstream.

TBC