Congratulations to Michael and Lexa on tying the knot.
Sorry for the delay guys and girls: I got bullied into writing some SG-1 fan-fiction.
Echoes of future past, part 42
Trance was shocked to hear the voice in her head: it was a voice she had not heard since she had joined the Eureka Maru, many years before. The voice was strange, yet somehow comforting. She felt the cold, hard deck of the Maru beneath her feet, and her vision cleared: the Engine of Creation was gone, and in it's place stood a tall woman dressed in a whiter robe, "Hello again Del-Rak, or should I call you Trance Gemini?" Trance blinked, "What happened?"
The woman smiled, "I fulfilled my promise: I can not make Seamus Harper love you more then he dose, that would require me to affect his free-will, but I can make it easier for the two of you to be together." Trance was confused, "I do not understand." The woman nodded, "It is simple, in a way: you are now human. Physically, you may look the same as ever on the outside, but you are as human as he is."
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Dylan entered command, his face like death it's self, the new crew member unsure what to make of it: his relationship with Rommie had not been a secret, and the entire crew had learned of her death on the Maru as it drifted helplessly after it's escape from the World Ship. The look on his face was enough to keep any of them from enquiring, especially when Tyr entered, a bandage covering his broken nose.
Taking his regular position to the right of the pilot's station, Dylan tapped a few commands into the console, "Andromeda, status." The AI's image flicked into existence on the main screen, "As Charlemagne promised, the Sabra-Jaguar ship's have started transferring over missiles, but there is a limit to how many they can spare before it impedes their own combat effectiveness. My anti-proton tanks are at 5%, meaning I can use my AP cannons, but for at most 30-seconds of continues fire. I've lost 50% of my attack drones, and 25% of my fighters, and most of those left have damage of some sort or another."
Dylan nodded, not moving his eyes from the readout before him, "Remove the missiles from the damaged fighters and move them to the main magazines, then have the ground crews drain their fuel tanks: we need every last anti-proton we can get."
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Trance was awe-struck: she tried to use any of her abilities, but they had all disappeared. She looked at the woman, "What about Rommie, Rev Bem?" The woman smiled, "They have also severed the greater good, and as such have also received their hearts true desire. I'm sure the Reverend Bohemian Fartraveller will adapt to this easily, I am not sure Andromeda will be able to deal without help from a good friend."
Still confused Trance nodded, "What about me people?" A glowing ball appeared in the woman's had: it changed to a shimmering mirror, then to show the huge Warship her people called home disappearing off into slipstream, "Have no fear, Trance Gemini: they think they are headed for the world of Mobius, but they will never get their." Trance's eyes went wide, "What are you going to do to them?"
The woman laughed, "Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to them, much as they deserve it: they will merely find themselves in a part of the universe where they can re-build their civilisation in peace." The ball dissipated, "Now, you still have two tasks ahead of you: you must help Andromeda to come to terms with what has happened, and you must save the others before they are destroyed by their enemies."
Trance looked worried, "The other? Dylan, Tyr, Beka? What's going to happen to them?" The woman looked sad, "As much as I would like to make the universe the perfect reality you sought for so long, I can only seek to maintain equilibrium: every sentient being in the universe has freewill. You are proof of that, so is the one you call Rev Bem: you have both moved beyond what you where, to what you want to be, and are better people for the experience. Hurry, time is running out, and you must find help for your friends." With a flash of light, the woman disappeared.
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Beka waited till she was far enough away from command so that there was no chance that Dylan would overhear her before she approached the com-unit, "Andromeda." The AI's face appeared on the small screen, "Commander. How may I help you?" Beka sighed, "I need to know the procedure to relieve Dylan of command: I don't think he's in any fit state to be making life or death decisions right now."
Andromeda looked at her blankly, "You would need the agreement of at lest three other senior command officers, then you would have to go to the master at arms and have him accompany you to command and officially state your reasons for relieving Dylan before the ship's company." Beka nodded, "Ok, who would count as senior command officers?" Andromeda blinked, "High Guard rules and regulations state that the senior command officers are as follows: Ship's captain, first officer, tactical officer, chief engineer, chief medical officer and ship's AI."
Beka nodded, "Well, I'm first officer, Tyr's tactical officer, and I know he'd agree after what Dylan did to him, Harper chief engineer. Trance is our CMO, but she's gone off in the Maru, so that leave you." Andromeda blinked, "But Beka: I do not believe that Dylan is incapacitated or un-fit to command."
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Rommie slowly opened her eyes, and was shocked by what she saw: the Maru's crew quarters. Not diagnostic review, no systems overlay, no exterior communications, even her link to the cargo ships basic AI network was down. She placed her hands palm down on the deck, and was shock by what she felt: cold. Not just a low temperature, or the fluctuations in the AG field, but cold.
She could hear a loud beating sound in her ear. She tried to extrapolate what it was, but her diagnostic system appeared to be off-line. She slowly raised her hands and looked at them: there was something different. She reached across with her right hand and pinched the back of her left hand. She jumped suddenly: pain. Not just a registering of pressure, but pain: she was hurt by it. She had never been so scared.
Quickly back pedalling with her hands and feet, she moved into the corner of the room, bringing her knees up, clutching them protectively with her arms. Again she felt the sensation of cold, this time coming from the small of her back. She tentatively reached round with her hand, and felt a hole in the back of her uniform, and more shockingly, warm flesh underneath. Her eyes darted around the room, and she noticed that she was breathing heavily. Not just the reflex action that Harper had built into her: she was really breathing. Consumed by fear, she did the only thing that came to mind: "DYLAN!" Footsteps reverberated off of the deck plating, and Rommie was relived to see Trance enter the room form the mess, "What's happened to me?"
Trance kneeled down in front of her friend and looked at her, a huge grin on her face, "It work! I wasn't sure it would, but it worked!" she placed a hand on her friends face, the end of her index finger just touching Rommie's neck, and she felt something strange. She moved her hand, and was surprised by what she felt: a pulse.
To Be Continued
@Troll99: ok, respect due if only for the sheer scale of Android or Human?, but I've always though that your Rommie dealt with her transformation better then she would have in the real world.
