Disclaimer: I don't own them, and I never will, though I'll always wish I did.
"So who are these people again?" Beka asked as the Andromeda Ascendant docked with a huge space station.
"Scientists, Beka," Rommie answered as she worked at a console. "They're interested in exploring the ship. They want to know how everything works."
"You mean they don't already?" Beka asked, surprised.
"They're an underdeveloped species," Trance replied. "They've only been around for about 230 years."
"So they never even had the Commonwealth to guide them," Beka concluded.
"They don't even know a whole lot about the new Commonwealth yet, Beka," Rommie added. "Dylan's going to discuss it with the colony's government officials while the scientists are checking out the ship. You know, I hear they're just starting to experiment with cloning humans."
"I thought that was outlawed thousands of years ago," Beka asked in a confused tone.
"They don't know that," Trance said.
"Why are they cloning humans if they're not human?" Beka became more confused.
"They have a hundred or so humans amongst them. According to my records, they actually have human DNA, just not a lot. The species started when a human and a Perseid… Well, you know." Rommie smiled sheepishly.
"How romantic," Beka said sarcastically.
* * *
"The female will be fine here alone," the head doctor said angrily. "She's days away from being ready to come out of cryo-stasis."
"We understand that, Doctor, but you do remember what happened the last time one of the clones woke up too early, don't you?" His assistant doctor seemed worried.
"Of course I do! But we've fixed the problems. Everything will be fine, Aryana. Now, we have to get to the conference hall. The crew of the Andromeda has arrived."
* * *
The crew of the Andromeda sat at a large, stainless steel conference table, waiting for the human/ Perseid half-breeds to greet them. Dylan tapped the fingers of his left hand on the table while he rested his chin in his right hand. "They're late," he said to know one in particular.
"Captain Hunt," the head doctor said loudly as he entered the conference hall, his assistant trailing his steps. "Sorry we're late. We had some last minute things to do in the laboratory. I am Dr. Reginald Escamany. This is my assistant, Dr. Aryana Scrim." He shook hands with Dylan, who had jumped to his feet when the doctors came in. The rest of the crew stood up and shook hands with the doctors. Harper made a silent pass at Dr. Scrim when she offered her hand for him to shake. She blushed lightly and smiled at him shyly.
"My ship's android, Rommie," he indicated Rommie, "will be giving you a descriptive tour of the ship, while my Engineer, Mr. Harper," he indicated Harper, "will tell you all about the ship's engine and slip core."
"I've read about the slip core," Dr. Escamany said cheerfully at the mention of the slip core. "It sounds very interesting. I'll be so glad to finally see it for myself." He continued to talk incessantly as Rommie and Harper led him and Dr. Scrim to the Andromeda. Tyr, Beka, and Dylan remained in the conference room waiting for the politicians to meet with them.
"This is going to be a long trip," Tyr said with a sigh. Dylan and Beka nodded in agreement.
* * *
Back in the lab, the female human clone the doctors had been arguing about opened her eyes in cryo-stasis. She became aware of her surroundings and began to panic. After she hit the glass that covered her cryo-stasis pod, it shattered into a million pieces. She took a huge gasp of air and crawled out of the pod. After landing on the floor with a loud thud, she felt the data port behind her ear and suddenly became aware of what she was. She saw a white lab coat on a chair near a desk and grabbed for it. After wrapping the coat around herself and standing up on shaking legs, she looked in the mirror on the wall she held on to. She looked at her shoulder-length black hair and deep green-blue eyes.
Clinging to the walls as she struggled through the corridors of the space station, she inaudibly mumbled short phrases that raced through her brain. When she reached a cross section, she looked both ways, deciding which way to take. She finally decided on going left, which would eventually take her to the Andromeda.
"So who are these people again?" Beka asked as the Andromeda Ascendant docked with a huge space station.
"Scientists, Beka," Rommie answered as she worked at a console. "They're interested in exploring the ship. They want to know how everything works."
"You mean they don't already?" Beka asked, surprised.
"They're an underdeveloped species," Trance replied. "They've only been around for about 230 years."
"So they never even had the Commonwealth to guide them," Beka concluded.
"They don't even know a whole lot about the new Commonwealth yet, Beka," Rommie added. "Dylan's going to discuss it with the colony's government officials while the scientists are checking out the ship. You know, I hear they're just starting to experiment with cloning humans."
"I thought that was outlawed thousands of years ago," Beka asked in a confused tone.
"They don't know that," Trance said.
"Why are they cloning humans if they're not human?" Beka became more confused.
"They have a hundred or so humans amongst them. According to my records, they actually have human DNA, just not a lot. The species started when a human and a Perseid… Well, you know." Rommie smiled sheepishly.
"How romantic," Beka said sarcastically.
* * *
"The female will be fine here alone," the head doctor said angrily. "She's days away from being ready to come out of cryo-stasis."
"We understand that, Doctor, but you do remember what happened the last time one of the clones woke up too early, don't you?" His assistant doctor seemed worried.
"Of course I do! But we've fixed the problems. Everything will be fine, Aryana. Now, we have to get to the conference hall. The crew of the Andromeda has arrived."
* * *
The crew of the Andromeda sat at a large, stainless steel conference table, waiting for the human/ Perseid half-breeds to greet them. Dylan tapped the fingers of his left hand on the table while he rested his chin in his right hand. "They're late," he said to know one in particular.
"Captain Hunt," the head doctor said loudly as he entered the conference hall, his assistant trailing his steps. "Sorry we're late. We had some last minute things to do in the laboratory. I am Dr. Reginald Escamany. This is my assistant, Dr. Aryana Scrim." He shook hands with Dylan, who had jumped to his feet when the doctors came in. The rest of the crew stood up and shook hands with the doctors. Harper made a silent pass at Dr. Scrim when she offered her hand for him to shake. She blushed lightly and smiled at him shyly.
"My ship's android, Rommie," he indicated Rommie, "will be giving you a descriptive tour of the ship, while my Engineer, Mr. Harper," he indicated Harper, "will tell you all about the ship's engine and slip core."
"I've read about the slip core," Dr. Escamany said cheerfully at the mention of the slip core. "It sounds very interesting. I'll be so glad to finally see it for myself." He continued to talk incessantly as Rommie and Harper led him and Dr. Scrim to the Andromeda. Tyr, Beka, and Dylan remained in the conference room waiting for the politicians to meet with them.
"This is going to be a long trip," Tyr said with a sigh. Dylan and Beka nodded in agreement.
* * *
Back in the lab, the female human clone the doctors had been arguing about opened her eyes in cryo-stasis. She became aware of her surroundings and began to panic. After she hit the glass that covered her cryo-stasis pod, it shattered into a million pieces. She took a huge gasp of air and crawled out of the pod. After landing on the floor with a loud thud, she felt the data port behind her ear and suddenly became aware of what she was. She saw a white lab coat on a chair near a desk and grabbed for it. After wrapping the coat around herself and standing up on shaking legs, she looked in the mirror on the wall she held on to. She looked at her shoulder-length black hair and deep green-blue eyes.
Clinging to the walls as she struggled through the corridors of the space station, she inaudibly mumbled short phrases that raced through her brain. When she reached a cross section, she looked both ways, deciding which way to take. She finally decided on going left, which would eventually take her to the Andromeda.