Her eyes shot open at the sound. She had fallen asleep at the console waiting for a reply from…well, empty space. Her ship had been damaged in the barrage of fire from the Than ship. The distress signal had been sent out hours ago. She wasn't expecting a reply, mainly because she was on the wrong side of the uncharted territories boundary. The ship must have drifted across by itself. The only thing she could manage to fix was the communication system.
Now, much to her surprise, she heard the "incoming message" alarm and sure enough there was a huge High Guard ship in front of her. The message was, thankfully, a reply to her distress signal and not some space pirate looking for spare parts and a slave woman. The man introduced himself as Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant. She'd heard of him and the ship before. Just her luck… she'd always wanted to see the Andromeda from the inside.
"Thank you, Captain Hunt," she replied. "Your help would be much appreciated. Been working on the thing for hours without success, sir."
"It's our pleasure, Hydra," replied Hunt. "May we know your name before we offer you any service?"
"Captain Felix Clark, sir," she said with a smile.
"Okay, Captain Clark, prepare to be brought aboard. We'll have our mechanic go to work as soon as possible."
"I appreciate the help, Captain, but if you don't mind, I'd just like to ask for your mechanic's assistance. I'm capable of fixing the beast myself, I just need the tools."
Within a few minutes, Felix was on board the Andromeda. She was greeted by the ship's A.I.
"Welcome aboard the Andromeda Ascendant. Feel free to use all available facilities. Quarters have been arranged for you should your repairs take more than a few hours. Captain Hunt has requested a word with you in his office. If you'll follow me, I'll take you there now."
"Thank you," Felix replied. She was not used to such well treatment. Felix was amazed as she followed the A.I. through the corridors of the ship. She had never seen a ship so glorious in her life. Her father had taken her aboard many obsolete High Guard ships, but none of them were this magnificent. They passed many labor robots along the way. Just as they were about to reach Hunt's office, Harper came over the comm. link.
"Hey, Rommie! You wanna tell Captain Clark that there's a gray feline down here that won't let me on the Hydra?"
Rommie looked embarrassed. "Seamus Harper, resident engineer," she explained. Felix nodded in understanding. "Go ahead down there," said Rommie, "and I'll tell Captain Hunt. Harper, she's on her way." Felix thanked her and started back along the route the A.I. took her on to her ship.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The dark gray cat stood in the doorway to the Hydra with an arched back, hissing and growling violently at Harper. Harper's eyebrows were raised with confusion. "How can one cat cause so much trouble?" he said to himself.
"Come on, kitty! Let me get on this ship so I can see what's wrong with it. If you don't let me get on the ship, you'll never be able to leave and you'll be stuck with me forever. Now let me get on this ship!" Harper was almost screaming at the cat. He thought for a moment and decided to try a different approach. He got down on his knees and held his hand out to the cat. "Come on, cute little kitty. Uncle Harper's not here to hurt you…" He continued on in this manner. The cat continued to hiss and growl at him.
Felix walked into the room silently. She'd heard Harper yelling at the cat as she approached the door to the docking bay and tried hard to conceal her laughter. He didn't hear her and continued to sweet talk the cat. When she realized he was reaching out to the cat, she spoke up.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said as she walked over to him. Harper jumped. She pushed his hand away with hers. "He bites like a Magog," she joked. Harper took in her appearance as she picked up the cat. Her black hair was just passed her shoulders and pulled back in a neat ponytail. Her skin was pale and her eyes were deep green-blue. She was about his height and thin, but not scrawny. When she had the cat in her arms, she looked up at him. She noticed his blue eyes and his messy blonde hair.
"I've had him since I was a little girl," she explained. "He's grown to be very protective of me and the ship, as well." She held out her hand, offering him a handshake. "Captain Felix Clark," she said.
"Seamus Harper," he replied, returning the handshake. "Who's this?" he asked gesturing to the cat.
"Oh, this is Sherlock," she said as she held the cat out to him. He hesitated. "It's okay," she said, "he won't bite anymore."
Harper took the gray ball of fur in his hands. The cat looked up at him with his green eyes. Sherlock began to purr when Harper scratched his chin. Harper giggled.
"As long as I'm around, he's okay with strangers," Felix explained. She saw how content Sherlock was at the chin massage Harper gave him. "Now he's gonna love you forever." She noticed the data port on the back of Harper's neck and smiled. "You too, huh?" she said as she pointed out her data port. "They do come in handy, don't they?"
"Oh, yes," Harper said with a smile. "I'm beginning to think this thing is the only reason Dylan keeps me around. That and the fact that I fix this ship every time he breaks it."
"I'm sure that's not the only reason. I mean, it's not like you're an unsociable Uber…"
Just then, Tyr walked into the docking bay. Felix's eyes turned from joy to fear and she backed up against her ship. "I didn't mean that, sir. I had no idea, really. I never read anywhere about a Nietzschean being on the Andromeda unless he was attacking it."
Tyr got a faint smile on his face. He tried hard to keep from laughing. "They're writing about us now, do you hear that, boy?"
"This is just Tyr," Harper said as he handed Sherlock back to Felix. "He's not like other Nietzscheans. Well, what I mean is, he doesn't go around terrorizing humans. He's on our side. He's helping us restore the Commonwealth."
"Don't speak too much good about me, boy. Our journey has only just begun," Tyr said as he stalked towards Felix. Felix's only response was to offer a handshake. Her hand shook as it was left in the air. Tyr looked at it, then back at her face. Felix put her hand down. "Nice to meet you…" she said.
"Captain Clark," Rommie said over the comm. link. "Captain Hunt is still expecting you. He'd like to have a few words with you."
"She'll be right there, Rommie," Harper said as Felix walked away. Tyr and Harper stood and watched her until she left the docking bay.
"Dylan has already started," Tyr said. "A woman walks onto his ship and he has to have 'a few words' with her."
"Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it?" Harper said with a vacant voice.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Now, much to her surprise, she heard the "incoming message" alarm and sure enough there was a huge High Guard ship in front of her. The message was, thankfully, a reply to her distress signal and not some space pirate looking for spare parts and a slave woman. The man introduced himself as Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant. She'd heard of him and the ship before. Just her luck… she'd always wanted to see the Andromeda from the inside.
"Thank you, Captain Hunt," she replied. "Your help would be much appreciated. Been working on the thing for hours without success, sir."
"It's our pleasure, Hydra," replied Hunt. "May we know your name before we offer you any service?"
"Captain Felix Clark, sir," she said with a smile.
"Okay, Captain Clark, prepare to be brought aboard. We'll have our mechanic go to work as soon as possible."
"I appreciate the help, Captain, but if you don't mind, I'd just like to ask for your mechanic's assistance. I'm capable of fixing the beast myself, I just need the tools."
Within a few minutes, Felix was on board the Andromeda. She was greeted by the ship's A.I.
"Welcome aboard the Andromeda Ascendant. Feel free to use all available facilities. Quarters have been arranged for you should your repairs take more than a few hours. Captain Hunt has requested a word with you in his office. If you'll follow me, I'll take you there now."
"Thank you," Felix replied. She was not used to such well treatment. Felix was amazed as she followed the A.I. through the corridors of the ship. She had never seen a ship so glorious in her life. Her father had taken her aboard many obsolete High Guard ships, but none of them were this magnificent. They passed many labor robots along the way. Just as they were about to reach Hunt's office, Harper came over the comm. link.
"Hey, Rommie! You wanna tell Captain Clark that there's a gray feline down here that won't let me on the Hydra?"
Rommie looked embarrassed. "Seamus Harper, resident engineer," she explained. Felix nodded in understanding. "Go ahead down there," said Rommie, "and I'll tell Captain Hunt. Harper, she's on her way." Felix thanked her and started back along the route the A.I. took her on to her ship.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The dark gray cat stood in the doorway to the Hydra with an arched back, hissing and growling violently at Harper. Harper's eyebrows were raised with confusion. "How can one cat cause so much trouble?" he said to himself.
"Come on, kitty! Let me get on this ship so I can see what's wrong with it. If you don't let me get on the ship, you'll never be able to leave and you'll be stuck with me forever. Now let me get on this ship!" Harper was almost screaming at the cat. He thought for a moment and decided to try a different approach. He got down on his knees and held his hand out to the cat. "Come on, cute little kitty. Uncle Harper's not here to hurt you…" He continued on in this manner. The cat continued to hiss and growl at him.
Felix walked into the room silently. She'd heard Harper yelling at the cat as she approached the door to the docking bay and tried hard to conceal her laughter. He didn't hear her and continued to sweet talk the cat. When she realized he was reaching out to the cat, she spoke up.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said as she walked over to him. Harper jumped. She pushed his hand away with hers. "He bites like a Magog," she joked. Harper took in her appearance as she picked up the cat. Her black hair was just passed her shoulders and pulled back in a neat ponytail. Her skin was pale and her eyes were deep green-blue. She was about his height and thin, but not scrawny. When she had the cat in her arms, she looked up at him. She noticed his blue eyes and his messy blonde hair.
"I've had him since I was a little girl," she explained. "He's grown to be very protective of me and the ship, as well." She held out her hand, offering him a handshake. "Captain Felix Clark," she said.
"Seamus Harper," he replied, returning the handshake. "Who's this?" he asked gesturing to the cat.
"Oh, this is Sherlock," she said as she held the cat out to him. He hesitated. "It's okay," she said, "he won't bite anymore."
Harper took the gray ball of fur in his hands. The cat looked up at him with his green eyes. Sherlock began to purr when Harper scratched his chin. Harper giggled.
"As long as I'm around, he's okay with strangers," Felix explained. She saw how content Sherlock was at the chin massage Harper gave him. "Now he's gonna love you forever." She noticed the data port on the back of Harper's neck and smiled. "You too, huh?" she said as she pointed out her data port. "They do come in handy, don't they?"
"Oh, yes," Harper said with a smile. "I'm beginning to think this thing is the only reason Dylan keeps me around. That and the fact that I fix this ship every time he breaks it."
"I'm sure that's not the only reason. I mean, it's not like you're an unsociable Uber…"
Just then, Tyr walked into the docking bay. Felix's eyes turned from joy to fear and she backed up against her ship. "I didn't mean that, sir. I had no idea, really. I never read anywhere about a Nietzschean being on the Andromeda unless he was attacking it."
Tyr got a faint smile on his face. He tried hard to keep from laughing. "They're writing about us now, do you hear that, boy?"
"This is just Tyr," Harper said as he handed Sherlock back to Felix. "He's not like other Nietzscheans. Well, what I mean is, he doesn't go around terrorizing humans. He's on our side. He's helping us restore the Commonwealth."
"Don't speak too much good about me, boy. Our journey has only just begun," Tyr said as he stalked towards Felix. Felix's only response was to offer a handshake. Her hand shook as it was left in the air. Tyr looked at it, then back at her face. Felix put her hand down. "Nice to meet you…" she said.
"Captain Clark," Rommie said over the comm. link. "Captain Hunt is still expecting you. He'd like to have a few words with you."
"She'll be right there, Rommie," Harper said as Felix walked away. Tyr and Harper stood and watched her until she left the docking bay.
"Dylan has already started," Tyr said. "A woman walks onto his ship and he has to have 'a few words' with her."
"Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it?" Harper said with a vacant voice.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *