Chapter 8
Beka tried to get free but the strong hands wouldn't let go. Finally, she gave up and went limp. Her attacker turned her around. She gasped.
"Rhade?" she whispered.
"You didn't honestly expect Dylan to let you do this yourself did you?" He whispered back. Beka smiled.
"Good. I'm glad you're here."
"So am I."
"Auril? Can you hear me? Damn. The communications are down." Darion Shandow had just rounded the corner. Beka and Rhade were already behind the crate.
"Darion do this, Darion do that. She acts like I am here personal servant. Darion, go find Beka. Beka is what we are after. Blah blah blahrggggggg!!!" Darion's whining turned to a sound of pain as Rhade jumped from behind the crate and stuck his bone blades into the man. Darion growled and fell to the floor. Rhade motioned for Beka to come. She creeped out of her hiding spot.
"We have to find Trance." She said.
"Why do they want Trance?"
"I don't know. Before Trance went all gold, she looked somewhat like Auril. I remember on Shintaida there was a man that looked like Auril. Maybe they are Trance's people. They look a lot like her. And Shandow looks a lot like Flex...wait..."she bent down and wiped Shandow's face. A thin powdery substance came off. Underneath was blue skin.
"I knew I recognized him! This is Flex! He and Trance talked on Shintaida. Maybe...maybe that is why they are here. They want Trance back."
"It is possible. But why did he say Auril told him to get Beka?" Rhade asked.
"I don't know." Beka responded," But we better go find Trance."
"Harper! We need those cables!" Dylan yelled.
"I'm working on it. Sheesh talk about your unappreciated genius."
"Captain! Auril's ship is getting more power! By my calculations, they will get to slipstream in ten minutes." Rommie said.
"HARPER!"
Auril had walked down to the brig to make sure that Trance was still there. She had flicked a few switches (that's right switches) and got a reserve of power. "Slip stream capable in 10 minutes and 34 seconds" The computer said. Auril merely smiled.
"Dear Trance, it is good to see you are up."
"Why have you done this? Why have you changed sides, gone to the evil?" Trance asked.
"Trance, there is no such thing as good and evil. There is simply the strong and the weak. The strong triumph while the weak fail! We are strong! The humans are weak! The Magog and the Abyss are strong! There is no reason for the strong to help the weak! The weak will always be weak! When the Magog arrive, the will destroy the humans and all inhabitants. All that will be left are the Magog...and the Stars." Auril smiled wickedly.
"And what happens when stars and the Magog are all that is left? You shall fight! You will all try to be dominant! You will destroy each other and there will be nothing left! There will be no Magog! No Abyss! There will only be black! The black of eternal night! The black of evil! The black that clouds the vision of the wise! The black the Abyss relishes! You will not prevail! You will simply destroy this Universe! Then, you will go on to the next universe and in 500 million years destroy that too! And it will go on like that forever! That is not strong! That is cowardly! You are too cowardly to fight the evil! Trance yelled at Auril.
"You don't know what you speak of! We have not seen that future!" Auril screamed, looking very pale.(Pale as in lighter blue ()
"That is because you are blinded by the darkness! Your vision is corrupted as is your soul. You do not see possible futures, you see the evil's will."
"You are wrong! You were wrong to ally with the Humans! With Dylan and Beka! Dylan will be taken care of, as will Beka! Darion is going to retrieve her now. And you will see her suffer for her future, for what you have done." Auril looked insane. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was twisted into a sick grin.
"You cannot know Beka's future! It isn't what you think! She will help defeat the Abyss! And Magog!" Trance cried desperately.
"That isn't why she is important and you know it! She will..." Auril stopped suddenly. "Something is wrong."
"No, something is very right!" Trance said. I can feel it. Beka, I'm so sorry. I will make it up to you, I promise! Trance thought.
"Darion respond!" Auril shouted over the intercom.
"He won't answer you." Trance said smiling. "He can't."
"Thank God this ship is smaller then the Andromeda. We would have a hell of a time finding the brig." Beka murmured.
"How do you know how big the Andromeda is?" Rhade asked.
"I looked at some schematics in medical." Beka replied. She snuck a look at him. He was standing over a console trying to locate medical.
"I am sorry."
"For what?" Rhade asked absently.
"For...umm... well...on Obs Deck. I...um...I don't know why I said that it just...popped out." Beka mumbled. "It doesn't matter. I know that THAT isn't the Nietzschean way."
"What do you mean THAT isn't the Nietzschean way?" Rhade asked a little sharply.
"Well, um...doesn't being a Nietzschean mean trying to achieve genetic perfection? I didn't think emotions had anything to do with it." Beka mumbled.
"Nietzscheans are capable of love." Rhade said. Beka looked up at him. She looked away, embarrassed.
"Beka?" She looked at Rhade. He looked at her as if trying to figure her out.
Gunfire interrupted Rhade's musings.
"What are you doing here, Kludge!" Auril's voice screamed.
"This way." Rhade grabbed Beka's hand and dragged her around the corner. There was about a two feet of metal door that wasn't shut all the way and was jammed from the loss of power that they hid behind. Rhade pushed Beka against the wall and stood in front of her protectively. He flung his arm out and shot at Auril. She shot back as he came back around to Beka. He turned to look at her. For a few seconds he just stared at her. He had never fully realized how beautiful she was.
"There is a door about 20 meters that way." Rhade whispered pointing down the hall away from Auril. "If we go through it, we will have a more direct way to the brig."
Beka nodded and kept looking at him. She couldn't stop looking at his eyes. Rhade leaned down suddenly and kissed Beka. Beka froze for a micro second then kissed him back. Oh my God was all that was running through Beka's mind. Rhade had been thinking about Beka since Obs Deck and realized he cared for her too. In fact, he wondered why he hadn't seen it before. He always seemed to think of Beka when his mind wandered. How much it bothered him that she hated him. No, not hated, just extremely didn't trust. Well, she seems to trust me now. Rhade thought. A sudden blast that missed them narrowly jolted them both back to reality.
Beka tried to get free but the strong hands wouldn't let go. Finally, she gave up and went limp. Her attacker turned her around. She gasped.
"Rhade?" she whispered.
"You didn't honestly expect Dylan to let you do this yourself did you?" He whispered back. Beka smiled.
"Good. I'm glad you're here."
"So am I."
"Auril? Can you hear me? Damn. The communications are down." Darion Shandow had just rounded the corner. Beka and Rhade were already behind the crate.
"Darion do this, Darion do that. She acts like I am here personal servant. Darion, go find Beka. Beka is what we are after. Blah blah blahrggggggg!!!" Darion's whining turned to a sound of pain as Rhade jumped from behind the crate and stuck his bone blades into the man. Darion growled and fell to the floor. Rhade motioned for Beka to come. She creeped out of her hiding spot.
"We have to find Trance." She said.
"Why do they want Trance?"
"I don't know. Before Trance went all gold, she looked somewhat like Auril. I remember on Shintaida there was a man that looked like Auril. Maybe they are Trance's people. They look a lot like her. And Shandow looks a lot like Flex...wait..."she bent down and wiped Shandow's face. A thin powdery substance came off. Underneath was blue skin.
"I knew I recognized him! This is Flex! He and Trance talked on Shintaida. Maybe...maybe that is why they are here. They want Trance back."
"It is possible. But why did he say Auril told him to get Beka?" Rhade asked.
"I don't know." Beka responded," But we better go find Trance."
"Harper! We need those cables!" Dylan yelled.
"I'm working on it. Sheesh talk about your unappreciated genius."
"Captain! Auril's ship is getting more power! By my calculations, they will get to slipstream in ten minutes." Rommie said.
"HARPER!"
Auril had walked down to the brig to make sure that Trance was still there. She had flicked a few switches (that's right switches) and got a reserve of power. "Slip stream capable in 10 minutes and 34 seconds" The computer said. Auril merely smiled.
"Dear Trance, it is good to see you are up."
"Why have you done this? Why have you changed sides, gone to the evil?" Trance asked.
"Trance, there is no such thing as good and evil. There is simply the strong and the weak. The strong triumph while the weak fail! We are strong! The humans are weak! The Magog and the Abyss are strong! There is no reason for the strong to help the weak! The weak will always be weak! When the Magog arrive, the will destroy the humans and all inhabitants. All that will be left are the Magog...and the Stars." Auril smiled wickedly.
"And what happens when stars and the Magog are all that is left? You shall fight! You will all try to be dominant! You will destroy each other and there will be nothing left! There will be no Magog! No Abyss! There will only be black! The black of eternal night! The black of evil! The black that clouds the vision of the wise! The black the Abyss relishes! You will not prevail! You will simply destroy this Universe! Then, you will go on to the next universe and in 500 million years destroy that too! And it will go on like that forever! That is not strong! That is cowardly! You are too cowardly to fight the evil! Trance yelled at Auril.
"You don't know what you speak of! We have not seen that future!" Auril screamed, looking very pale.(Pale as in lighter blue ()
"That is because you are blinded by the darkness! Your vision is corrupted as is your soul. You do not see possible futures, you see the evil's will."
"You are wrong! You were wrong to ally with the Humans! With Dylan and Beka! Dylan will be taken care of, as will Beka! Darion is going to retrieve her now. And you will see her suffer for her future, for what you have done." Auril looked insane. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was twisted into a sick grin.
"You cannot know Beka's future! It isn't what you think! She will help defeat the Abyss! And Magog!" Trance cried desperately.
"That isn't why she is important and you know it! She will..." Auril stopped suddenly. "Something is wrong."
"No, something is very right!" Trance said. I can feel it. Beka, I'm so sorry. I will make it up to you, I promise! Trance thought.
"Darion respond!" Auril shouted over the intercom.
"He won't answer you." Trance said smiling. "He can't."
"Thank God this ship is smaller then the Andromeda. We would have a hell of a time finding the brig." Beka murmured.
"How do you know how big the Andromeda is?" Rhade asked.
"I looked at some schematics in medical." Beka replied. She snuck a look at him. He was standing over a console trying to locate medical.
"I am sorry."
"For what?" Rhade asked absently.
"For...umm... well...on Obs Deck. I...um...I don't know why I said that it just...popped out." Beka mumbled. "It doesn't matter. I know that THAT isn't the Nietzschean way."
"What do you mean THAT isn't the Nietzschean way?" Rhade asked a little sharply.
"Well, um...doesn't being a Nietzschean mean trying to achieve genetic perfection? I didn't think emotions had anything to do with it." Beka mumbled.
"Nietzscheans are capable of love." Rhade said. Beka looked up at him. She looked away, embarrassed.
"Beka?" She looked at Rhade. He looked at her as if trying to figure her out.
Gunfire interrupted Rhade's musings.
"What are you doing here, Kludge!" Auril's voice screamed.
"This way." Rhade grabbed Beka's hand and dragged her around the corner. There was about a two feet of metal door that wasn't shut all the way and was jammed from the loss of power that they hid behind. Rhade pushed Beka against the wall and stood in front of her protectively. He flung his arm out and shot at Auril. She shot back as he came back around to Beka. He turned to look at her. For a few seconds he just stared at her. He had never fully realized how beautiful she was.
"There is a door about 20 meters that way." Rhade whispered pointing down the hall away from Auril. "If we go through it, we will have a more direct way to the brig."
Beka nodded and kept looking at him. She couldn't stop looking at his eyes. Rhade leaned down suddenly and kissed Beka. Beka froze for a micro second then kissed him back. Oh my God was all that was running through Beka's mind. Rhade had been thinking about Beka since Obs Deck and realized he cared for her too. In fact, he wondered why he hadn't seen it before. He always seemed to think of Beka when his mind wandered. How much it bothered him that she hated him. No, not hated, just extremely didn't trust. Well, she seems to trust me now. Rhade thought. A sudden blast that missed them narrowly jolted them both back to reality.