Sorry that this chapters taken a while, but I've been writing an
Andromeda/Stargate SG1 crossover called Eye of the Storm.
Echoes of future past, part 13
Harper walked along the corridor until he reached one of the machine shops, and was surprised to find the door locked. He arched his brow, "Andromeda, why's this door locked?" The AI's holographic form appeared next to him, "I don't know: Ryan requested it's use, he said he had something to work on, then engaged privacy mode." Harper shook his head, and placed an over-ride on the door lock, opening it.
The room was almost empty, apart from a strange looking device sitting on the workbench. Harper walked over and examined it, "It look's like some kind of free-vacuum energy generator, but I though that the knowledge to make them was lost with the fall of the Commonwealth?"
"It was." Came a voice from behind Harper. He turned to see Ryan leaning against the wall, "But I found a flexi showing how to build one on Tarn- Vedra. I brought it back with me." Harper examined the generator, "Why do you need a power-source like this?" Ryan shut the door, blocking Andromeda out of the conversation, "I need it to blow something up, something big." Harper was scared by the look in Ryan's eye, "Like what?"
Ryan smiled, walking over to the workbench, "Like the point-singularity cannon on the Magog world-ship: no matter how many ship's Dylan collects here for the attack, most of them are going to fall victim to that weapon." He rested his hands on the generator, "So I'm going to take it out of the equation." Harper was confused, "But how are you gong to get it close enough to use?" Ryan lifted the generator off of the table, "I'm going to fly it down the caesium that Dylan and Rommie used to rescue you and my farther when you where captured three years ago."
Harper shook his head, "But that would be suicide!" Ryan smiled, "That's what you said when I came up with the plan. Look, I spent two years trying to come up with a plan to change the past to stop the Magog, and this is the only one that has a chance of working. Get out of my way."
"You may be able to get past him, but not Me." Came a voce from the re- opened door. Harper looked round with relief, "Tyr! Maybe you can talk some sense into him." The Nietzschean nodded, walking into the room, "Your plan has only a slim chance of success, so is not worth the risk." Ryan looked at his farther, "I thought I explained it to you: I'm dead whatever happens. This way, I improve the chances of the me from this time, the one that Beka is still carrying, surviving to grow-up in a relatively safe universe."
Tyr examined the young man, "That is a very Nietzschean way of thinking." Ryan nodded, "Well, I am your son after all. How do you expect me to think?" Tyr nodded, and stepped out of the way. Harper was shocked as Ryan walked off along to corridor, "How can you let him go like that?" Tyr looked down at the engineer, "Believe me, this is probably the last thing I want, but the logic is clear: he has only one thing to live for, the survival of his DNA. This is the best chance he has of that happening. It may not make sense to you, but it is most likely the only way." Harper shook his head, "Screw that!"
Dylan was on duty in command when Harper found him, "Boss, we got a problem: Ryan's about to take a Slipfighter and go after the world-ship!" Dylan was confused, "What dose he hope to do with just a Slipfighter?" Harper looked worried, "He's managed to build a free-vacuum energy generator, and he's gong to try and take-out the point-singularity cannon. Tyr knows, but he's letting him go. You have to stop him!"
TBC
Echoes of future past, part 13
Harper walked along the corridor until he reached one of the machine shops, and was surprised to find the door locked. He arched his brow, "Andromeda, why's this door locked?" The AI's holographic form appeared next to him, "I don't know: Ryan requested it's use, he said he had something to work on, then engaged privacy mode." Harper shook his head, and placed an over-ride on the door lock, opening it.
The room was almost empty, apart from a strange looking device sitting on the workbench. Harper walked over and examined it, "It look's like some kind of free-vacuum energy generator, but I though that the knowledge to make them was lost with the fall of the Commonwealth?"
"It was." Came a voice from behind Harper. He turned to see Ryan leaning against the wall, "But I found a flexi showing how to build one on Tarn- Vedra. I brought it back with me." Harper examined the generator, "Why do you need a power-source like this?" Ryan shut the door, blocking Andromeda out of the conversation, "I need it to blow something up, something big." Harper was scared by the look in Ryan's eye, "Like what?"
Ryan smiled, walking over to the workbench, "Like the point-singularity cannon on the Magog world-ship: no matter how many ship's Dylan collects here for the attack, most of them are going to fall victim to that weapon." He rested his hands on the generator, "So I'm going to take it out of the equation." Harper was confused, "But how are you gong to get it close enough to use?" Ryan lifted the generator off of the table, "I'm going to fly it down the caesium that Dylan and Rommie used to rescue you and my farther when you where captured three years ago."
Harper shook his head, "But that would be suicide!" Ryan smiled, "That's what you said when I came up with the plan. Look, I spent two years trying to come up with a plan to change the past to stop the Magog, and this is the only one that has a chance of working. Get out of my way."
"You may be able to get past him, but not Me." Came a voce from the re- opened door. Harper looked round with relief, "Tyr! Maybe you can talk some sense into him." The Nietzschean nodded, walking into the room, "Your plan has only a slim chance of success, so is not worth the risk." Ryan looked at his farther, "I thought I explained it to you: I'm dead whatever happens. This way, I improve the chances of the me from this time, the one that Beka is still carrying, surviving to grow-up in a relatively safe universe."
Tyr examined the young man, "That is a very Nietzschean way of thinking." Ryan nodded, "Well, I am your son after all. How do you expect me to think?" Tyr nodded, and stepped out of the way. Harper was shocked as Ryan walked off along to corridor, "How can you let him go like that?" Tyr looked down at the engineer, "Believe me, this is probably the last thing I want, but the logic is clear: he has only one thing to live for, the survival of his DNA. This is the best chance he has of that happening. It may not make sense to you, but it is most likely the only way." Harper shook his head, "Screw that!"
Dylan was on duty in command when Harper found him, "Boss, we got a problem: Ryan's about to take a Slipfighter and go after the world-ship!" Dylan was confused, "What dose he hope to do with just a Slipfighter?" Harper looked worried, "He's managed to build a free-vacuum energy generator, and he's gong to try and take-out the point-singularity cannon. Tyr knows, but he's letting him go. You have to stop him!"
TBC
