Disclaimer: The Skyship reference is from Andromeda and I don't own it.

Confusion
By: Jeanka

His eyes opened and his head hurt as they tried to adjust to the sunlight that was shinning into the room. "Where am I?" he asked out loud as he tried to sit up.

"The planet Valic," a tiny voice replied.

He frowned and looked around for the source, but he didn't see anyone. "Who's there?" he asked.

A young woman rose from where she had been bowing on the floor at the edge of his bed. "I am Jeava Kaglon of Valic. How can I serve you?"

He looked at her confused. "Why do you serve me?" he asked carefully.

"You came from the darkness. I serve you as custom requires," she said. "The legends say that a man will come from the darkness and be our Paramount."

"Your what?" he asked.

"Paramount," repeated Jeava. "Our leader."

The man said nothing as he leaned back trying to get farther under the covers of the bed he was laying in. He had no idea where he was, or who he was. And what was the darkness? "What do your legends say that the Paramount is supposed to do for you?" he asked.

"Defeat our oppressor, Titian of KO-35," said Jeava. "He rules our land with hate and terror."

The man ran a hand threw his short blond hair. To his knowledge he had never heard of that man before, but the name filled him with hate. "Where can I find him?"

"Oh no," she cried. "You can not leave. If he finds you, he will capture you like he did to your companions!"

Companions? He couldn't remember anyone else. "What did he do with them?"

"They are in a secure unit. We couldn't get to your Skyship fast enough, but your friends had hidden you before they were taken away. And they left this for us to give back to you when you woke up," she said handing him a metal square box. Black flaps opened when he squeezed two triggers on the sides. Jeava looked fascinated, but the man gave the appearance of being confused.

"Thank you," he offered.

"I must tell Micko you are awake. Please remain here, Paramount," she said running out of the room.

The second she was out of the room, the blond man jumped out of bed and slipped out of the room into the hallway. He avoided everyone he saw and made it to the lowest level of the building he was in. no thing made sense to him. The walls were all white and the corridors all looked the same to him.

"Paramount," a deep voice made him freeze in place. "Where are you going?" He turned to see a large man wearing a red robe with black trim. He arms were neatly folded over his large belly.

"What do you want with me?" he demanded backing away from the stranger.

"Listen to me, sir. No harm will come to you. I realize this must be very confusing for you, but let me assure you, everything will get better. Tell me," he said gently stepping closer to the frightened man. "What is your name?"

The blond man thought about it. Only one name can to his mind. "Andros," he replied. The name made him feel good and cared about.

"Oh dear," the man frowned. "Well, then you really are the Paramount. Lord Titian wants you dead above all else. If he were to learn that you are here, he will have our heads. I beg you not to leave until we come up with a plan. Come, Andros. Meet the Assembly."

The large man and Andros walked down several corridors until they reached a large door guarded by two men. One of the men opened the door and allowed them to enter. Once inside, Andros could see seats filled with people of all different statuses. The other man led him to the center platform and called for silence.

"My brothers and sisters," he began. "I, Micko, present to you the Paramount. Andros." Micko pulled Andros to the front of the platform and had him wave to the cheering crowd. "In time, he will deliver us from the grip of Lord Titian and give us liberty!"

The crowd cheered louder and Andros gave them his best artificial smile. He had no idea what was going on. After the speech, Micko introduced him to the leading members of the Assembly. There were fifteen senior members and two customary representatives. Dinner was served after that and then Micko decided it was time to retire for the evening.

Jeava was waiting for Andros when he arrived at his room. "I had your sleep wear lying out and water run for your soak. Is there anything else you'll need, Paramount?"

Andros shook his head and Jeava left. Falling onto the bed, exhaustion brought on by confusion took over him and he fell into a deep sleep.

"Look at that," a voice whispered. "The poor boy."

"Shh, Kalona," Jeava's voice replied from the crack in the door. "He'll hear you."

"Wouldn't be all bad," replied Kalona. "He does look amazing."

"Leave him alone," pleaded Jeava. "You'll probably scare him away before he could even start to try to save us. It's bad enough Titian has his friends."

"I wonder why Lord Titian wants this boy dead so badly. It has to be a personal grudge, but over what?"

"I don't know, nor do I want to find out," replied Jeava backing away from the door. "Come on. There is still work to be done and I won't do it alone."

"Ladies," Micko said coming up to them. "I have good news. Titian has agreed to release his compains to us."

"In exchange for what?" asked Jeava.

Micko smiled at her. "The Head of a Traitor."

Jeava inhaled sharply. "Phantom."

TBC