We appear to be back on track for an ending around episode 45, but it may go past that: there are still a few things I need to add to bring it to it's rightful conclusion. And before anyone says anything, I know this mirrors part of The Hunter, but that's only coincidental.
Echoes of future past, part 43
Rommie was worried when she saw Trance's eye widen and her jaw drop "What… What is it?" Trance looked at her, lost for words for a few seconds, "Rommie, you're human."
*******************************************************************
Beka looked at the screen, "What do you mean, you don't believe that Dylan is incapacitated or un-fit to command! He's just lost the woman he loves, then left medical without the doctors permission, broke Tyr's nose and returned to Command. In my book, that's a sign of unstable-mind!"
Andromeda looked Beka straight in the eye, "As far as I can see, Dylan is yet to display any sign of physical or physiological impairment. I know he is upset, and should be in medical, but the current situation is drastic enough that he is needed in Command. I understand your personal feelings towards his attack on Tyr, but your husband did goad him slightly. Now I admit that his reaction was somewhat extreme, and if you wish to file a complaint with the Admiral, I will be more than willing to provide you with a recording of the event, but now is not the time."
*******************************************************************
Rev Bem came to in the Maru's engineering space, confused as to what had happened: he remembered helping Trance to assemble the Engine of Creation, and the bright light, be everything else was blank. He slowly got to his feet, his head spinning, and started to make is way towards to cockpit.
He entered the mess and saw Trance kneeling over something he couldn't quite see, "Trance, are you ok?" The golden skinned woman turned to face him and gasped, "Rev?" He nodded, "Yes, what is it?" Trance stood, and Rev saw Rommie looking up at him, a mixture of shock and bewilderment on her face. Trance walked over to Rev Bem and ran a hand down the side of his face, "So this is what she meant by you'd received your hearts true desire!" She turned to look at Rommie, "Both of you! In fact, all three of us!"
Rev Bem was confused, "Trance, please do not take this the wrong way, but you are making even less sense then normal. What do you mean 'hearts true desire'?" Trance put her arms round Rev Bem's neck, "You're human. So is Rommie, and if what I was told is true, so am I!" Rommie blinked, "But How? Why?" Trance lifted her friend to her feet, "In Rev Bem's case, it was because he proved he was more than just another Magog. I was made human because it will allow me to be with Harper, which is what I want, and Rommie, in your case it was a gift, a chance to live a life with Dylan in a way you couldn't before."
*******************************************************************
Baker stormed back into command, unable to believe what Andromeda had said: Dylan was so far from stable that he couldn't even see it on a clear day. Apart from his attack on Tyr, he seemed outwardly calm, but Beka had seen that look before, back when her farther had tried to give up Flash: it was the look of someone with nothing left to live for. But Andromeda seemed determined to keep him in command, and was doing anything she could to stall Beka's plan to relive him.
Understanding it Beka like a lightning-bolt: Andromeda was grieving for Rommie, the same as the rest of them, her sense of loss second only to Dylan's. Beka remembered the conversation she had had with the AI's holographic Avatar just before the battle with the damaged World Ship: Andromeda had cared from Rommie like a sister, or maybe like a daughter was a better choice of words, had had been distant after the Maru had been recovered. Beka only hoped that the AI had not gotten her hopes up when Trance had high-tailed it with the Engine of Creation fragment, blabbering something brining Rommie back. Even if it did no good, she'd kill the golden skinned girl the next time he saw her.
Seeking some understanding, Beka turned to Dylan, "Did Trance say anything to you on the World Ship that might explain her actions?" Dylan looked distant, "She said some thing, very little of which I understood, but nothing that would explain this."
*******************************************************************
Trance ran past an astonished Rev Bem and dived into the pilots seat, bringing the Maru's drive back on-line, "She said the others where in trouble, and we had to find them help." She thought for a moment, "I know just the place. Hold on!"
With a shudder, the Maru entered Slipstream.
To Be Continued
Anybody who's thinking of quoting the Bible at me (It's happened in the past), take note: I'm a practicing Catholic who got a C-grade GCSE in Religious Education, so I know I'm cutting a little close at times, but I'm trying not to be disrespectful or sacrilegious.
