New Arrival

Chapter One

A Heroes Soul

"A heroes soul is forged in the crucible of torment."

A paraphrasing of a line from an old Earth book in what was called the Dragonlance universe, called "The Soulforge" by Margaret Weiss.

Hex Mason sat in the quarters that had been deemed his.  It seems that Captain Dylan Hunt thought enough of the boy to invite him to join his crew, and the boy thought enough of the crew and ship to take him up on that invitation.  He held in his hands a very, very old book.  It was a paperback edition of a book called "The Soulforge" and he was smiling slightly, a sad smile.  He opened the cover and read the scrawled handwriting he knew was his, read it aloud.  "A heroes soul is forged in the crucible of torment."  A sad laugh escaped his lips as he heaved himself up and walked over to his small chest of belongings, opening it and placing the book inside.  He closed the chest and stood up, staring at it for a few moments longer.  Sighing to himself, he turned, and left his quarters, heading to Hydroponics, the place he had named Sylvanus, to see his annan.

....................................

Trance stood in Hydroponics, the place she'd come to call Sylvanus, after what her new friend Hex Mason called it.  She smiled at the name, conjuring up the image of the young man.  No, she said to herself with a smile, not a young man.  'He's older than he looks, a lot older.'  She felt something, a broadcasted emotion, and smiled, sent back an emotion of warmth in an embrace.  She knew who'd broadcasted the emotion, knew without looking it was Hex.  She knew he was behind her, and knew that he would speak sooner or later.

What she hadn't known was that he was going to slip his arms around her waist.  That surprised her, but she had to admit to herself, she enjoyed it, enjoyed his warmth and affection, and enjoyed how safe and peaceful she felt with his arms around her.  "And how's my favorite golden skinned princess today," he asked softly.  She smiled and leaned into him without realizing she was doing it.

"The best I've been doing in a while, thanks to you," she said back.  He smiled at her and she smiled at him.  She put her hands on top of his.  "And how're you, my Holy Knight?"  She blinked in surprise.  Had she just called him HER Holy Knight?  Did she mean it?  Was it all that bad if she wanted him to be HER Holy Knight?

"Perfect, now that I'm here."

"Yeah, the plants do make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, don't they?"  He smiled and nodded his agreement.

"I wasn't talking about the plants, though."  He coughed nervously.  "Um. . .Trance?  Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," she replied, blushing at his comment.  Wait.  Earlier, had he called her HIS golden skinned princess?  Did she like that?  Yes, she decided, she did like that.

"Well. . .listen, you and I have been getting kinda close, right?  We're friends, I mean."  She giggled, something she hadn't done in a long, long time.

"Yeah, we're friends.  Best friends."  He smiled.

"Well. . .do you, maybe, I mean. . .oh, for all my years, I've never learned how to do this. . . ."  He took a deep breath and just blurted it out.  "Maybe you wanted to be more than friends?"  Silence took them both as they stared into each other's eyes.

"You mean. . .the two of us as boyfriend and girlfriend," she asked dreamily.  Apparently, he took the question differently than she had meant it, because he started to unwrap his arms and tried to move away from her while mumbling.

"Oh, I knew I was rushing things, it was too soon, I knew it-"  She cut him off by pulling his arms back around her waist, standing up on her tiptoes, and kissing him.  He was shocked by the sudden move, but recovered quickly, closed his eyes, and kissed her back.  They stood that way for several minutes, just kissing, until finally he pulled away.  "So, that's a 'yes' then," he asked jokingly.  She smiled up at him and they kissed again.  She smiled and unwrapped his hands from around her waist, still holding them.

"Now, let's get one thing straight from the start, though.  This means that from now on you can't be all dark and broody anymore.  You've got to talk to me about what you're feeling."  He nodded.

"Understood.  And the same goes for you."  She smiled.

"It's a deal."  And they kissed again.

Rommie silently engaged privacy mode in Hydroponics with a smile.

....................................

Dylan was on command when it happened.  "Captain Hunt," Rommie reported, holographic projection appearing in front of him, "I'm picking up a distress call-"

"Geez, another one," groaned Harper.  He had been reporting on the damage done by the Drago-Katsov and how long it would take to fix it, along with what materials would be necessary.

"Yes Harper, another one," Rommie replied, a bit miffed about being interrupted.  "It's coming from a planet nearby.  If we maintain our current course and velocity, we should be there within the hour."

"Rommie, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most urgent, what would you rate this distress call?"  He didn't want to fall victim to another prank distress call, after all.

"Ten being the most urgent?  Twenty-three."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

"Call the crew to command."

....................................

Hex practically ran to command when he heard the call.  Trance had to keep a tight hold of his hand to keep him from losing her.  He attempted to stop, began to skid, his legs flew out from under him, and he ended up on his back, a bruise rapidly forming on the back of his head.  "Mr. Mason," Dylan asked, "are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine for now.  None of us will be if you answer that distress call."

"Oh great, another psychic," Harper joked playfully.  When Hex's face didn't get any lighter, Harper decided maybe it wasn't the time.

"I'm telling you, Captain, that if you answer that distress call something very, VERY bad will happen."

"Do you know that planet?"

"Did.  It's long dead now, nothing but some very BIG asteroids left.  Enough to demolish us pretty badly."

"All the more reason to check it out.  If a ship is stuck in there-"

"There isn't!  That distress call was sent a long time ago, but nobody bothered to come!"

"And you know this how?"  Hex shook his head, turned to leave.

"I'll be getting some weapons if you need me," he said.

"What for," Harper asked.  "If there's nothing but asteroids left, why do ya need weapons?"

"You'll see for yourself soon enough."

"Is there something there that we should know about, Mr. Mason?"  Hex stopped, his eyes closed.

"Andromeda, mind doing me a favor," he asked.

"What is it?"

"Scan that asteroid field for life forms.  Carbon based."

"Scanning."  There were a few minutes of silence.  "There's nothing there."  Hex sighed deeply, snapped his fingers.

"Now scan again."

"I just scanned-"

"Scan again."  Andromeda cocked a holographic eyebrow, but scanned anyway.

"Mr. Mason, what is she going to find?"

"Still no life forms."

"What exactly are we lookin' for here," Harper asked.

"Andromeda, there was a. . .shadow on your scan the last time, right?"

"How did you know," the hologram replied.

"Scan inside that shadow.  Look for any odd energy readings this time."  This time, the hologram took less than three seconds to reply.

"Whoa, what is this?  There's a great deal of energy in that shadow."

"What is it, Mr. Mason?"

"A vortex."  He sighed.  "That's all I can tell you.  But you don't want to go in."

"What's on the other side of the vortex," Trance asked gently, snaking her hand back into his.

"I can't tell you.  You wouldn't believe me anyway."  Trance smiled slightly.  She knew what he meant now.

"Try me, Mr. Mason."  He shrugged.

"It's just a legend, but. . .that vortex is said to go to the plane of existence where the gods of that planet lived."

"You say lived, in the past tense."

"Yes.  Yes, I did.  The legend says they don't live there anymore.  It says that when their world died, they all reacted differently.  Some simply left to find other worlds.  Some went on to CREATE other worlds.  Some wanted to create the world again, in their own image, with their own vision."  His face was twisted in pain.  "Some grieved for all the lost life, both innocent and guilty.  Or rather, the legend says that one grieved."  He shook his head, as if to clear it.  "Silaris, Guardian of the Light, sat down and cried into his hands.  The legend says he grieved, and while he was grieving, Arcanis, his brother, and Emperor of the Dark, left to cause havoc throughout the universe.  When Silaris finally looked up from his hands, Arcanis had already caused much strife.  Silaris blamed himself for it all, blamed the death of the world on his foolishness and naiveté, and blamed all the destruction Arcanis had caused throughout the universe on his negligence.  This ripped his soul apart, and he flew headlong into an army that Arcanis had raised.  He was destroyed, but so were Arcanis and his army.  Unfortunately, Arcanis found a way to be reborn, and Silaris had to give up the final peace he'd had in death to be reborn to fight him."  He laughed, snapping them all out of the trance they'd been in while listening to him speak.  "Just a legend, though."  The squeeze Trance gave his hand told him she didn't believe that last part.  "But. . .I think the legend is off, slightly.  I don't think Silaris found final peace in death.  I think, with his dying breath, he damned himself to torment in whatever his concept of hell was for his mistakes.  I think maybe he wanted to go back to that after he was reborn, for a while.  Now. . .I think now he wants to make amends for it by finally destroying Arcanis, and sending him into the oblivion of nonexistence."  He sighed.  "So, don't go into that asteroid field, Dylan Hunt.  All you'll see is death, decay, and darkness."  He paused.  "If you believe the legend, that is."

"Still haven't answered my question yet," Harper replied.

"Apparently, if the legends and madmen are to be believed, Arcanis came back after he was reborn, and lives on that plane now.  He controls the asteroids and smashes anyone who gets too close.  So, I'd suggest passing it by."  He paused.  "Oh, by the way, Andromeda, check the Earth date on that message, will you?  To leave no doubts, I mean."  There was silence, and then the hologram replied.

"It's very early in Earth's history, BC."  Hex nodded.

"Now, could you put a date on one of the asteroids for me, please?  An Earth date, if you wouldn't mind."  The hologram shook her head.

"Those rocks go back before Earth's recorded history.  If you'd like I can switch to-"

"Thank you," Hex interrupted, and left command, Trance walking with him in silence.

....................................

The pair walked through the halls in silence for a bit, but finally, Trance broke it.  "So. . .was that really a legend?"

"Yeah."

"Hex. . .I doubt you'll tell me, but what kind of connection do you have to Ravonas?"  He laughed.

"You're right, I'm not going to tell you."  Trance nodded in understanding.  It wasn't that he didn't trust her, just that some things had to be kept secret.  She smiled and suggested that when they came to the next drift, the two of them go exploring together.  He let out a contented sigh and smiled, nodding his head in agreement.

....................................

One hour later, Dylan called a meeting.  Every member of the crew was there.  Hex knew what he was going to say, and refused to speak a word, refused to even pay attention to what was being said.  Trance leaned gently against him, her hand in his.  Beka sat in the first chair to the right, while Tyr did his usual brooding thing and was leaning against a wall.  Rommie and Harper sat next to each other, and Dylan stood at the head of the table.  "Ok people, we're going into that vortex.  We've sent a few scouts to check it out, and apparently there is terrain inside, or on the other side."  He looked up at Hex and asked sarcastically, "Mr. Mason, do you have any advice for us?"

"Yes, Captain, I do," Hex replied, surprising them all.  His gaze was intense, his muscles tense, his jaw set.  "If legend is to be believed, and I believe it wholeheartedly, that place has traps galore for any unwary traveler.  Not trapdoors, not ambush spots, and certainly not trapdoors leading to pongee pits.  You will face your greatest desires there, and your most inner demons.  There have been precious few who have managed to make it back from this place alive, and those that did are all irrevocably insane, driven mad by what they saw there.  Do not let yourselves get lost, because if you do, there's a chance that you would never be able to be found.  I suggest we stay together, or if we must split up, stay in groups of at least two.  If you do manage to get lost, and that certainly isn't the hardest thing in this place, immediately stop and sit down.  Try to leave some kind of trail if you end up by yourself.  I also suggest someone stay here to watch the ship.  I have no knowledge of whether there is anyone alive on this plane, but it is better to err on the side of caution in this scenario."  His mouth snapped closed.

"Well, I happen to agree with Mr. Mason."  Hex opened his mouth again.

"And, if I may make another suggestion, I suggest Trance remain here to watch the ship," Hex cut in quickly.  Trance's head snapped around in shock.  "I can't let you go out there knowing full well what could happen.  Besides, do you really want everyone to see what's in your head," he whispered to her.

"I'm going, and that's that," she whispered back sharply.

"Mr. Mason, Trance will be coming with us.  We need her to identify any poisonous plants and to be certain that any injuries are diagnosable and treatable.  Beka will watch the ship."  For once, Beka's temper didn't explode.

"Fine with me.  Truth be told, this place gives me the creeps."

"Alright," Hex said, "one more piece of advice.  Things down there may get kind of hard, but I seem to remember a saying. . .something like 'what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger' or something.  That's a good thing to remember down there."

"Ok then, let's move," Dylan replied, stretching.

....................................

"I think Beka was right about this place," Trance stated, as they stared around at the landscape.  They stood in a gray place, a place that had once been lush with forests and cities and even craggy wastelands.  Hex's eyes were wide, his sword in his right hand and a handgun in his left, standing so close to Trance he was almost on top of her.  He was alert, darting his head left and right, staring ahead at the distance and spinning to check behind them.  Tyr smiled at how jumpy the boy seemed, though he noted that the hair on the back of his neck was standing up.  Harper was sticking close to the man in the know, namely Hex.  Dylan was in the lead, with Rommie by his side.

"Yes," Hex replied.  "She was.  Captain Hunt, I suggest we do whatever it is you want to do here very, very quickly."  Dylan nodded.

"I agree.  Come on, let's go."  As a group they moved off, down a path that looked well used, old, and gray.  As they passed a tree, Hex gently touched the tree, as if saying hello.  Only Trance noticed, but she said nothing.  Soon they came to a fork in the road, the right path leading to a craggy wasteland, the left path leading to a large meadow, with a building in the middle.

"We should go back to the ship now," Hex stated.  "We've seen what you wanted, nobody lives here, the distress call was most definitely sent out years upon years upon years ago.  Now let's go."

"No, I think we should go down the left path.  I want to see what's in that building."

"No, Captain, you don't," said a voice from behind them.  Hex spun and strode purposefully up to the newcomer, a pale skinned, red-haired man in robes, carrying a staff.  "So, you've returned."

"Begone, ghost, and do not bother anyone else, forevermore."  The man laughed.

"I shall go, and fade into nonexistence.  But before I do, I must warn you.  This place is now inhospitable for even you.  You must leave now, and do not return, especially not with friends.  You are putting them in unimaginable danger by bringing them here."

"It wasn't my decision, as you well know."  He waved his hand dismissively.  "Now begone.  You waste my time, and time is of the essence."  He turned his back on the man and headed towards the building, taking Trance's hand as he did so.  "Come on.  Do you want to see the building or not?"  The man behind them laughed, but it grew fainter and fainter, until finally it had faded out.

....................................

Hex stood in front of the door, barring the way, his arms spread out across the width of the door.  "Before going in, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, boy, now move out of the way!"  He shrugged and moved away from the door, taking Trance's hand in a tight grasp.

"After you, Dylan."  The door opened, and they all stepped inside, into darkness.  And then, quite suddenly, there was no longer a floor, and they fell into darkness.  The last thing Hex remembered hearing was Tyr's sarcastic voice.

"I thought you said there weren't any trapdoors, boy."

....................................

"Beka," Andromeda's holographic projection yelped, interrupting her nap.

"What is it," she asked wearily.

"All communications with the others have been cut off."  Beka was instantly awake.

"What about the avatar?"

"ALL communications have been cut off, Beka.  ALL of them."

"Why do I get the feeling that isn't a good thing?"

....................................

Hex awoke on a rocky wasteland.  The Andromeda was nearby, but it was complete garbage, burning away.  He saw what looked like an old Earth motorcycle nearby, and glanced down at himself.  Yes, he looked like he had that day on the ice planet; only his sunglasses lay next to him.  He got up, brushed himself off, and placed the sunglasses on his face.  "Now, to find the others."  He climbed on the motorcycle looking thing and sped off down a cleared road.

....................................

Dylan awoke to find the remains of a city.  There were Commonwealth soldiers, dead, littering the ground everywhere.  One clear road lead away from the place, and what looked like a large, motorized chariot was the only vehicle nearby.  "Dylan," a voice called.  He turned, and saw a man on a motorcycle waving to him.  Somehow, he knew it was Hex.  "Hop in the chariot thing and come with me."

"Where are we?"

"One of Trance's possible futures," he called back, and that's all he said.  He spun the bike around and was off, leaving Dylan to follow in the odd, chariot like vehicle.

....................................

Harper awoke in place swarming with Magog.  Or, rather, Magog statues, made to look real.  He was terrified.  A robotic suit that seemed to plug into his dataport stood nearby.  He was heading over to investigate when he saw the man on the motorcycle, that man that he somehow knew was Hex, and Dylan ride up.  He cocked his head in the direction of the suit, Hex and Dylan both nodded, and he stepped inside.  The suit closed over him and plugged into his dataport, and suddenly, he knew how to use it.  He controlled it.  There were thrusters in his feet, and he tested those out.  "Come on Harper," Dylan called.  "We have to find the others."

....................................

Tyr awoke in an underground cavern.  There was no one there, and the only vehicle in sight was a vehicle that looked like a heavily armed drilling vehicle.  He noticed a door on the ceiling as it opened, and saw Dylan standing there, with the man he somehow knew was Hex and the robot that he somehow knew was Harper, and he got into the drilling vehicle.  Hex pointed to a tunnel that lead up to the surface, and Tyr road out of that.

....................................

"Where's Trance and Rom-Doll," Harper asked.  Hex shook his head.

"Trance I don't know," he called out so everyone could hear him.  "Rommie, being an android, wouldn't be affected by mystical visions.  She isn't here."

Tyr activated the strange communications apparatus in his drilling tank and spoke to the others through that.  "This is a vision?"

"Yes, it is.  It's of a possible future," Hex replied.

"Well, that explains why you look different," Dylan replied.  "Why don't the rest of us look different, though?"

"Dylan," Hex replied, "look at yourself."  Dylan realized he hadn't yet, and glanced down.  What he saw shocked him.  He was wearing a tattered High Guard uniform, and he had a bionic arm.  His hair was longer than it had been before, and he wore a handlebar mustache.  "Harper, you don't change very much over the years, and Tyr, you get a couple new scars.  That's about it."

"How come you change so much," Harper asked.

"Because, if my memory of the events leading up to this future are correct, I am directly involved in bringing it about.  Trance tried to convince me it was an accident at one point, but I put blame on myself and left the Andromeda.  We all met again after the fall of the Commonwealth, and this is what was left of us."

"What about Beka," Dylan asked.

"She has a place in this future, as does Rommie, but since she didn't come into the building with us, she isn't here right now.  Mystical vision and all of that."

"Are we really here," Harper asked.

"Yeah."

"How do you know this," Tyr asked suspiciously.

"If you listen to those madmen that made it out of here long enough, you learn a few things.  Pay attention to the legends and add that to the madmen, and you get a pretty good picture of what's going on."

"Can we get out," Dylan questioned.

"Yeah.  All we have to do is find all the living beings that were with us when we entered the building and go to sleep."

"That's it," Harper asked.

"That's it.  The problem, of course, is finding Trance."

"You knew where the rest of us were," Dylan replied.

"No idea where Trance is.  We were holding hands when we fell, so she should've been near me."

"So," Harper asked, "what are we doing in this future, anyway?"

"Climbing the stairway," Hex replied.  When all he got was a blank silence in return, he laughed.  "All of us have different reasons for why we fight.  Dylan, you want to restore the Commonwealth.  Er-restore it again, I mean.  Tyr. . .you fight because your friends do."

"That doesn't sound like me at all."

"It is, Tyr.  You've grown attached to all of us, well maybe not me yet, but you fight because you don't want to see us get hurt, and you want to protect us.  Tough exterior, caring interior."  He went on before Tyr could cut him off again.  "Harper, you're fighting because you've got nothing else to do anymore, and because you figure that the Magog are allied with the enemy, so you've got personal reasons for fighting.  Beka. . .since she isn't here right now it's harder to see, but I think she's fighting because she's too angry to sit around.  Rommie's still around, but we haven't found her yet, and Trance. . .well, Trance is Trance.  She's fighting because she doesn't want this future to remain the way it is."

"And why are you fighting," Tyr asked.

"To make amends for my mistakes," he replied simply.  "Because I feel this future is my fault entirely, and I figure that I should either fix it or die trying."  He sighed.  "Come on, I've got a pretty good idea where Trance will be."

....................................

Hex was right, and he wished he wasn't.  He saw Trance, surround by enemies, fighting for her life.  He saw her fighting those same strange aliens that had attacked Sarenal.  He saw one of them draw blood, and he completely lost it.  He sped his motorcycle type vehicle up to full speed and drew his enormous sword, the same sword from the ice planet.  He destroyed quite a few of the creatures, and broke through to where Trance was.  "Get on," he roared, and then hauled her onto the motorcycle without waiting for her confirmation.  "Cover our escape," he yelled back, and they sped off, him clearing the way in front and her keeping it clear behind.

....................................

"So, now all we have to do is go to sleep," Hex was saying.

"Oh yeah, right," Harper replied, "I've got enough adrenaline pumpin' through my body right now to strangle a Magog barehanded."  Hex laughed at his joke.

"That's a good one.  I've got a better one, though."  Harper stepped out of his suit and stretched.

"Oh yeah, what?"

"This," Hex replied, and hit Harper with the butt of his handgun.  The young man fell, unconscious.  "Ok, he's asleep.  Trance is sleeping, Tyr is dozing.  That means it's just you and me Dylan, and I'm not going to sleep before you."

"Just answer me one question, Mr. Mason," Dylan replied.

"Shoot."

"Will the future really end up like this?"  Hex laughed and knocked Dylan out the same way he had Harper.  Gazing down at the unconscious Captain, he sighed.

"Not if I can help it, Dylan.  Not if I can help it."  And then he settled down to sleep.

....................................

"Ohhh," Harper groaned, "what hit me?"  He blinked when he saw Hex trying to hide a grin.  "Oh.  Well, guess it was for the best.  But, y'know, could you be a little gentler next time?"  Hex laughed and held out his hand to help Harper up.

"No problem."  Harper glanced around the room they were in.

"So, where are we?"

"No idea."

"You're tellin' me that you know everything else about this place, but all of a sudden you don't know about this building?"  Hex shrugged.

"Nothing understandable, anyway.  The crazy guys I talked to tended to get a little incoherent when they got to this place."

"Did anybody ever come outta this place that WASN'T crazy," he mumbled sarcastically to himself.

"Gods," Hex replied with a smile.  "If the legend is to be believed."  He glanced around.  Dylan, Tyr, and Trance were still asleep.  Rommie had watched them since the fall, which was, apparently, not even a fall.  They had all just collapsed on the ground.  Hex was the first to wake, and he told her to go get Beka and bring the ship back.  She asked him if everything was ok.  He gave her a comforting smile and replied that everything would be fine.

Upon gazing at the wall of mirrors in front of him, however, he realized things were most definitely NOT going to be fine.  A man that looked amazingly like him was standing there, smiling evily.  He wore black, spiked plate armor, and had black, leathery wings sticking out of his back.  That huge sword that Hex had used in the future was in his hands.  "Harper," Hex said, his voice tense and taught, "get everybody up and get them outside.  Get as far away from this building as you can."  Harper, who was currently relaxing on the wall across from the mirrors, opened his eyes to say something, saw the man in the mirrors, and blinked in surprise.

"It's. . .you!  But it isn't!"  The man in the mirrors stepped out of the mirrors, and Harper's face got even paler than it had been before.

"Get them out of here," Hex roared back.

"Hello there, me.  How are you today?"

"You aren't real," Hex replied.  "Get back in those mirrors and don't bother anybody anymore."

"No can do there buddy," the other Hex said, and his voice took on a playful quality.  "I like it here!"

"Harper, I don't see you moving."

"That's because I can't," he replied.

"Oh, how creative," Hex exploded sarcastically.  "We're equals, remember.  You're me, real or not, and you're no weaker or more powerful than I am."  He held up his hand, fingers apart and palm pointed at the armored version of himself, and a ball of white energy formed there.  Harper's jaw dropped open in shock.  "Oh, oh wait," Hex mumbled, and waved his left hand.  Harper collapsed again, unconscious, and the memory of the energy was wiped from his mind.  "Now, get back in those mirrors."

....................................

"Wha. . .where are we," Trance asked groggily, pushing herself up into a sitting position.  She saw Hex leaning against a nearby tree, legs out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.  There were shards of reflective glass in his hair and he had bandages in a few places.  His head was leaning against the tree, eyes closed.  She thought for a moment he was asleep, and then he spoke.

"Outside the building we were in.  Rommie's getting Beka.  Harper was up for a couple'a minutes, but he fell back to sleep.  Dylan and Tyr haven't been up yet."  He had been sweating within the past half hour, judging from the stains on his shirt.  He looked very, very tired, and she slid over to his side.  Only then did she realize how bad he really looked.

His skin was deathly pale, and there were more bandages on his body than she'd originally thought.  He was breathing heavily, and he was barely holding onto consciousness.  There were several tears on his shirt that looked like they came from sword slashes, and there were bloodstains on it as well.  Dylan, Tyr, and Harper were laid rather sloppily on the ground, indicating that he hadn't had much energy with which to carry them and lay them down.  "Are you ok," she asked him gently, sliding her arm into his and grasping his hand.  He smiled.

"I will be.  Just stay with me, ok?"  She smiled back.

"Always," she replied, laying her head down to rest on his shoulder.  Just then, the pair saw Beka and Rommie striding toward them.  They didn't bother trying to get up and explain about the holding hands, as Beka wore a pleased smile on her face and Rommie was clapping slightly.  "Should we wake them up," she asked.

"Nah, I don't think so.  They probably won't be up for a bit."  Trance looked up at him.

"Don't we have to get out of here?  I mean, it's all gray."

"We're safe here Trance.  It isn't gray here, see," he said, running his free hand along the tree behind him.  It was brown, a healthy brown, with a beautiful combination of green and red leaves.    The entire clearing was colorful.

"Why isn't it gray," she asked.  He shrugged.

"Dunno.  My advice?  Don't question it, just sit back and enjoy it."  He removed his hand from hers and slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer to him, if it were possible.  She smiled and leaned her head against his chest, her hands on his chest a few inches below her head.  Her eyes closed and she fell back to sleep.  He smiled up at Beka and Rommie.  "Give us about half an hour, then wake us up."  Beka nodded.

"And then you WILL report to Med Bay with Trance," Rommie whispered.  Hex gave a little laugh and let sleep overtake him.

....................................

"Um. . .Hex?"  Trance was standing over Hex, trying to get a scan of his wounds.

"Yes Trance," he asked playfully.

"Why can't I get a scan on you?"  He smiled and gave her the same answer he knew she'd given another man once, as she'd told him about that time.

"You're machine's broken."  She chuckled slightly at that.

"Seriously though, why can't I get a scan on you?"  He swung his legs off the bed and turned his head to look at her.

"Let's just leave it at the fact that you can't right now."  She cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't scan well, but the scanner does pick up life signs.  With you, I can't even get that."  She paused, deciding how to phrase her next question.  "Are you alive?"  In answer, Hex removed one of the bandages from his body, and a small trickle of blood began to drip down.  That quickly turned into a bigger trickle, which in turn began to gush.  He put the bandage back on his chest.

"You tell me."  He paused.  "Andromeda, engage privacy mode."

"Engaged," rang the ship's voice.

"I am alive," he said, "but I'm going to show you something, if you promise not to tell anyone, and that includes this crew.  Or anyone else, for that matter.  ANYONE."

"Of course."  He nodded in satisfaction and removed the same bandage that he had removed previously.

"Now, allow me to show you."

....................................

"Mr. Harper, maybe you'd like to tell the rest of us what happened in that building before we all awoke," Dylan was saying, standing on command talking to Harper.

"Well, boss, there's really not much to tell until the end.  It was weird.  There was this big wall o' mirrors, and Hex was in it.  But he was all armored and stuff, looked like a Dark Knight out of some fantasy story.  Then the weirdest thing happened.  He stepped out of the mirror, and Hex raised his hand up and commanded him to go back into the mirrors. . . ."

"Is that all?"

". . .Yeah.  Yeah, I think so."

....................................

Hex fell asleep that night and instantly went to the realm of rectangular glass.  He sighed.  "Now what do you want to show me," he asked the thin air, looking down at the plane of glass he was on.

Unlike all the other times he'd been here, the image was clear, not semi-transparent.  It snapped into sharp focus, crystal clear.  He and Trance danced at a medieval style ball.  He stood atop a mountain of blood and bones, a volcano erupting in the distance.  He stood in a High Guard uniform, at the helm of the Andromeda, and images of a thousand other ships flashed by.  And the one image that flashed by more than once, that was constantly flashing in his face, was an image of Trance being struck with an unknown weapon, by an unknown assailant, and falling.  Each image furthered the whole of the action, as one showed her being struck, and the next time it showed her beginning her fall, and so forth and so on.  It continued on as she hit the ground and bounced slightly.  He entered the picture, dropping to his knees and scooping her up into his arms.  He held her head and she whispered her last breath, and then she died.  He pulled her head to his chest and began rocking back and forth, crying.  And then he looked up, to what had struck her dead.  The next image, and the last, a picture of him from behind, standing in front of Trance's dead body, arms outstretched, palms up, fingers curling, back arched.  He looked out into the stars, into the endless universe.

And then he awoke, and a rumbling sound in the distance reminded him a great deal of a smith's hammer, striking a blow to what would soon be a sword.

Notes:  Yeah, yeah, I know.  Long again, but there's a lot to cover in this story, especially in the beginning chapters.  I know a lot of it might not make the most sense right now, but they will eventually, don't worry.  And yes, I do have plans for at least one sequel, so there will be a few unanswered questions left throughout this story, which one of the sequels (my current plan is for three, maybe four, stories in the series) will answer.  Please give me reviews.  Pardon the pun, but I need to know how to make this unworked heap of metal into a better sword.